Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 3;10(1):3879.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-60193-1.

Comparison of Fever-reducing Effects in Self-reported Data from the Mobile App: Antipyretic Drugs in Pediatric Patients

Jiyun Choi  1   2 , Seyun Chang  3   2 , Jong Gyun Ahn  4
Affiliations

Comparison of Fever-reducing Effects in Self-reported Data from the Mobile App: Antipyretic Drugs in Pediatric Patients

Jiyun Choi et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

We compared the fever-reducing efficacy of acetaminophen (AA), ibuprofen (IBU), and dexibuprofen (DEX) using data collected from the mobile healthcare application FeverCoach, which provides parents with guidelines for determining their child's health condition, according to body temperature. Its dataset includes 4.4 million body temperature measurement records and 1.6 million antipyretics treatment records. Changes in body temperature over time were compared after taking one of three different antipyretics (AA, IBU, and DEX), using a one-way ANOVA followed by a post-hoc analysis. A multivariate linear model was used to further analyze the average body temperature differences, calibrating for the influences of age, weight, and sex. Children administered IBU had average body temperatures that were 0.18 °C (0.17-0.19 °C), 0.25 °C (0.24-0.26 °C), and 0.18 °C (0.17-0.20 °C) lower than those of children administered AA, at time intervals of 1-2 hours, 2-3 hours, and 3-4 hours, respectively. Similarly, children administered DEX had average body temperatures that were 0.24 °C (0.24-0.25 °C), 0.28 °C (0.27-0.29 °C), and 0.12 °C (0.10-0.13 °C) lower than those of children administered AA, at time intervals of 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 hours, respectively. Although the data were collected from the application by non-professional parents, the analysis showed that IBU and DEX were more effective in reducing body temperature than AA was.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Jiyun Choi is a researcher and Seyun Chang is the CTO of Mobile Doctor Co., Ltd., which manufactured the “FeverCoach” app. Jong Gyun Ahn has no conflict of interest to disclose. No funding was received for conducting this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in average body temperatures over time, according to antipyretic type.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Inclusion and Exclusion flow chart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Kluger, M. J. Fever, its biology, evolution, and function. (Princeton University Press, 1979).
    1. Dinarello CA. Cytokines as endogenous pyrogens. J. Infect. Dis. 1999;179:S294–S304. doi: 10.1086/513856. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Small P, Täuber MG, Hackbarth C, Sande M. Influence of body temperature on bacterial growth rates in experimental pneumococcal meningitis in rabbits. Infect. Immun. 1986;52:484–487. doi: 10.1128/IAI.52.2.484-487.1986. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. El-Radhi ASM. Why is the evidence not affecting the practice of fever management? Arch. Dis. Child. 2008;93:918–920. doi: 10.1136/adc.2008.139949. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ahkee S, Srinath L, Ramirez J. Community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly: association of mortality with lack of fever and leukocytosis. South. Med. J. 1997;90:296–298. doi: 10.1097/00007611-199703000-00006. - DOI - PubMed