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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Oct 1;3(10):e2022398.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22398.

Comparison of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) With Ibuprofen for Treatment of Fever or Pain in Children Younger Than 2 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Eunicia Tan  1   2 , Irene Braithwaite  3 , Christopher J D McKinlay  4   5 , Stuart R Dalziel  1   6   7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Comparison of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) With Ibuprofen for Treatment of Fever or Pain in Children Younger Than 2 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Eunicia Tan et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

Importance: Acetaminophen (paracetamol) and ibuprofen are the most widely prescribed and available over-the-counter medications for management of fever and pain in children. Despite the common use of these medications, treatment recommendations for young children remain divergent.

Objective: To compare acetaminophen with ibuprofen for the short-term treatment of fever or pain in children younger than 2 years.

Data sources: Systematic search of the databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the trial registers ClinicalTrials.gov and the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry from inception to March 2019, with no language limits.

Study selection: Studies of any design that included children younger than 2 years and directly compared acetaminophen with ibuprofen, reporting antipyretic, analgesic, and/or safety outcomes were considered. There were no limits on length of follow-up.

Data extraction and synthesis: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline, 2 authors independently extracted data and assessed quality. Data were pooled using a fixed-effects method if I2 was less than 50% and using a random-effects method if I2 was 50% or greater.

Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcomes were fever or pain within 4 hours of treatment onset. Safety outcomes included serious adverse events, kidney impairment, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatotoxicity, severe soft tissue infection, empyema, and asthma and/or wheeze.

Results: Overall, 19 studies (11 randomized; 8 nonrandomized) of 241 138 participants from 7 countries and various health care settings (hospital-based and community-based) were included. Compared with acetaminophen, ibuprofen resulted in reduced temperature at less than 4 hours (4 studies with 435 participants; standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.38; 95% CI, 0.08-0.67; P = .01; I2 = 49%; moderate quality evidence) and at 4 to 24 hours (5 studies with 879 participants; SMD, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.03-0.45; P = .03; I2 = 57%; moderate-quality evidence) and less pain at 4 to 24 hours (2 studies with 535 participants; SMD, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.03-0.37; P = .02; I2 = 25%; moderate-quality evidence). Adverse events were uncommon. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen appeared to have similar serious adverse event profiles (7 studies with 27 932 participants; ibuprofen vs aceteminophen: odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.87-1.33; P = .50, I2 = 0%; moderate-quality evidence).

Conclusions and relevance: In this study, use of ibuprofen vs acetaminophen for the treatment of fever or pain in children younger than 2 years was associated with reduced temperature and less pain within the first 24 hours of treatment, with equivalent safety.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Dalziel reported receiving grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, Cure Kids New Zealand, and National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and receiving support for attendance at meetings from Fisher and Paykel Healthcare outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flowchart of Study Identification, Inclusion, and Exclusion
RCT indicates randomized clinical trial.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Antipyretic Profile of Ibuprofen vs Acetaminophen From Randomized Studies with Continuous Variables
SMD indicates standardized mean difference.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Antipyretic Profile of Ibuprofen vs Acetaminophen From Randomized Studies with Categorical Variables
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Analgesic Profile of Ibuprofen vs Acetaminophen From Randomized Studies
SMD indicates standardized mean difference.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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