Comparison between Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen in the Treatment of Infectious Fever in Children: A Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric pharmacology
• Infectious disease management
• Evidence-based medicine

Background:

• Fever is a common symptom in children with infectious diseases.
• Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are widely used antipyretics in pediatric populations.
• Comparative efficacy and safety data are crucial for clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the efficacy of ibuprofen versus acetaminophen in treating infectious fever in children.
• To assess temperature reduction at specific time points (1, 2, and 4 hours) post-administration.
• To analyze and compare the incidence of adverse events associated with each medication.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and retrospective cohort studies.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies comparing ibuprofen and acetaminophen in children with infectious fever.
• Data extraction included temperature changes at 1, 2, and 4 hours, and adverse event data; analyzed using mean difference (MD) and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals.

Main Results:

• Ten studies involving 1773 patients were analyzed.
• Acetaminophen resulted in higher temperatures compared to ibuprofen at 1, 2, and 4 hours post-administration (significant P-values and high I² heterogeneity).
• No significant difference in adverse events was observed between ibuprofen and acetaminophen (RR = 0.8, 95% CI (0.52, 1.24), P = 0.32).

Conclusions:

• Ibuprofen demonstrates superior efficacy in reducing fever in children with infectious fever compared to acetaminophen.
• Both medications exhibit comparable safety profiles regarding adverse events.
• Findings support ibuprofen as a potentially more effective first-line antipyretic for pediatric infectious fever.