Paediatric drugs
Efficacy of Ibuprofen Versus Acetaminophen for Acute Fever Management in Febrile Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
By Marseglia GL, Marchisio PG, Milani GP and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are the most widely used antipyretic agents in pediatric practice. Despite their common use, comparative evidence on their relative efficacy in febrile children remains heterogeneous, and clinical recommendations vary across guidelines and countries.
Objective
We aimed to evaluate the comparative antipyretic efficacy of ibuprofen versus acetaminophen in febrile children through a systematic review and meta-analysis restricted to randomized controlled trials.
Methods
A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science using a predefined strategy combining terms for ibuprofen, paracetamol/acetaminophen, fever/febrile/pyrexia, and pediatric populations. The primary outcome was the proportion of children afebrile at 4 h. Continuous outcomes included temperature reduction at 4 h, time without fever during the first 4 h, and time-weighted summary temperature differences over 0-8 h. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261353471).