SynthesisJournal of the Royal Society of Medicine2010
The effect on mortality of antipyretics in the treatment of influenza infection: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Symptomatic fever management in children: A systematic review of national and international guidelines.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Randomized controlled trial of the effect of regular paracetamol on influenza infection.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2016Trial
- The impact of body temperature abnormalities on the disease severity and outcome in patients with severe sepsis: an analysis from a multicenter, prospective survey of severe sepsis.Critical care (London, England) · 2013Trial
- Association of body temperature and antipyretic treatments with mortality of critically ill patients with and without sepsis: multi-centered prospective observational study.Critical care (London, England) · 2012Trial
- Avian-origin influenza A viruses tolerate elevated pyrexic temperatures in mammals.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Nasopharyngeal Airspace Temperature During Rhinothermy.Respiratory care · 2025Article
- Effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal acupoint application in adult patients with fever and mild-to-moderate COVID-19: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Review
- Warming up for a better fever: a randomized pilot study in pediatric oncology.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2022Article
- Article
- Potential for Further Mismanagement of Fever During COVID-19 Pandemic: Possible Causes and Impacts.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Effect of a fever in viral infections - the 'Goldilocks' phenomenon?World journal of clinical cases · 2021Review
- Prevalence of self-reported anxiety and self-medication among upper and middle socioeconomic strata amidst COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of education and health promotion · 2021Article
- Suppressed anti-inflammatory heat shock response in high-risk COVID-19 patients: lessons from basic research (inclusive bats), light on conceivable therapies.Clinical science (London, England : 1979) · 2020Review
- Over-the-Counter Painkillers and Evolutionary Mismatch.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Article
- The role of adjuvant immunomodulatory agents for treatment of severe influenza.Antiviral research · 2018Review
- Treating Influenza Infection, From Now and Into the Future.Frontiers in immunology · 2018Review
- [Relationship between fever degree and prognosis in children with bacterial bloodstream infection].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2017Article
- The Association of Fever with Total Mechanical Ventilation Time in Critically Ill Patients.Journal of Korean medical science · 2016Article
- Aberrant coagulation causes a hyper-inflammatory response in severe influenza pneumonia.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether antipyretic treatment for influenza infection influences the risk of mortality in animal models and humans.
designA systematic search of Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials was undertaken to identify randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in influenza infection in animal models or humans that reported mortality. A quantitative meta-analysis of the risk of death using Peto's one step odds ratio with calculation of the pooled risk of death and standard evaluation of heterogeneity was undertaken.
settingNot applicable.
participantsNot applicable.
main outcome measuresRisk of mortality associated with antipyretic use in influenza infection.
resultsEight studies from three publications met the inclusion criteria. No human studies were identified. The risk of mortality was increased by antipyretic use in influenza-infected animals with a fixed effects pooled odds ratio of 1.34 (95% CI 1.04-1.73). An increased risk was observed with aspirin, paracetamol and diclofenac.
conclusionIn animal models, treatment with antipyretics for influenza infection increases the risk of mortality. There are no randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in influenza infection in humans that reported data on mortality and a paucity of clinical data by which to assess their efficacy. We suggest that randomized placebo-controlled trials of antipyretic use in human influenza infection are urgently required, and that these are sufficiently powered to investigate a potential effect on mortality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.