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Most practitioners have established patterns in their recommendation of either acetaminophen or ibuprofen for relief of fever and pain. Treatment decisions are often based on concerns about side effects or parental preferences. To better elucidate the pros and cons of each agent for single-dose usage, researchers undertook a meta-analysis of 17 randomized, controlled trials of these drugs in children (age, <18 years): 3 articles were included in the pain relief analysis, 10 in the fever reduction analysis, and all 17 in the safety analysis.
Both drugs were equally efficacious for pain relief. Ibuprofen was a more effective antipyretic at 2, 4, and 6 hours after treatment and demonstrated the best results when used at a dosage of 10 mg/kg. Th…