Ibuprofen in febrile asthmatic children
| Citation | Study group | Study type | Outcome | Key results | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesko et al (2002)2 | Total 1879 febrile children 6 mth–12 years receiving asthma medicationGroup1: 632 children receiving paracetamol 12 mg/kg/doseGroup 2: 636 children receiving ibuprofen 5 mg/kg/doseGroup 3: 611 children receiving ibuprofen 10 mg/kg/dose | Randomised controlled trial | Outpatient visits for asthma or hospitalisation for asthma during 4 weeks post-medication | 69 (3.4%) documented outpatient visits: 32 in group 1 and 37 in groups 2 and 3 | Ibuprofen was found to be less likely to exacerbate asthma when compared to paracetamol. Children with known hypersensitivity to paracetamol or NSAIDs were excluded |
| McIntyre and Hull (1996)5 | Febrile inpatient children (2 mth–12 years)Group 1: 76 received ibuprofen (11 had wheeze or asthma, 21 had a history of asthma or wheezing)Group 2: 74 received paracetamol (4 with asthma or wheezing and 12 with a history of asthma or wheezing) | Randomised controlled trial | Change in axillary temperature, palatability, changes in clinical condition, number and nature of adverse effects | 10/76 (13%) patients in the ibuprofen group had 16 adverse events, 14/74 (19%) patients in the paracetamol group had 18 events. This was statistically not significant. No patients had an asthma attack, but two became wheezy, both in the paracetamol group | The majority of all adverse events was considered to be either mild or not in relation to the treatment. Children with known hypersensitivity to paracetamol or NSAIDs were excluded |