The subjects were volunteers and participants in vaccine trials conducted at the University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development. There was another group challenged with Rickettsia rickettsi intradermally. In this subset, however, the administration of antipyretics did not affect the duration of illness. The investigators point out that earlier studies have also shown that antipyretic drugs prolong the course of both rhinovirus and varicella virus infections. I am not surprised by these findings.
Fever is part of the body's defense mechanism.
This alarming development is compounded by the lack of suitable therapeutic alternatives. Not very well, says a paper in the Nov '00 Journal of Pediatrics p694. Curious investigators in Chicago surveyed all residents, fellows, and attending physicians involved in pediatric inpatient services at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital. The survey consisted of 18 clinical vignettes based on the CDC guidelines. The survey scores did not vary with the level of training or whether the respondent was a pediatrician or non-pediatrician.