SynthesisBMC pulmonary medicine2020
Risk of wheezing and asthma exacerbation in children treated with paracetamol versus ibuprofen: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between ibuprofen administration in children and the risk of developing or exacerbating asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alone or combined, for pain relief in acute otitis media in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Symptomatic fever management in children: A systematic review of national and international guidelines.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Paracetamol and NSAIDs for Fever and Pain Management in Children with Chronic Diseases: A Narrative Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The burden of asthma among children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A national cross-sectional survey.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. Global · 2022Article
- The Effective Management of Fever in Pediatrics and Insights on Remote Management: Experts' Consensus Using a Delphi Approach.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Article
- EA3: A softmax algorithm for evidence appraisal aggregation.PloS one · 2021Article
- Morbidity and Drug Prescribing Pattern in Pediatric Outpatient Department of Kankai Nagar Hospital of Eastern Nepal.Sage open pediatricsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundParacetamol and ibuprofen are the most commonly used medications for fever and pain management in children. While the efficacy appears similar with both drugs, there are contradictory findings related to adverse events. In particular, incidence of wheezing and asthma among children taking paracetamol compared to ibuprofen, remain unsettled.
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared wheezing and asthma exacerbations in children taking paracetamol versus ibuprofen. A comprehensive search was conducted in five databases. RCTs reporting on cases of wheezing or asthma exacerbations in infants or children after the administration of paracetamol or ibuprofen were included. The pooled effect size was estimated using the Peto's odds ratio.
resultsFive RCTs with 85,095 children were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate (OR 1.05; 95%CI 0.76-1.46) revealed no difference in the odds of developing asthma or presenting an exacerbation of asthma in children who received paracetamol compared to ibuprofen. When the analysis was restricted to RCTs that examined the incidence of asthma exacerbation or wheezing, the pooled estimate remained similar (OR 1.01; 95%CI 0.63-1.64). Additional bias adjusted quality effect sensitivity model yielded similar results (RR 1.03; 95%CI 0.84-1.28).
conclusionAlthough, Ibuprofen and paracetamol appear to have similar tolerance and safety profiles in terms of incidence of asthma exacerbations in children, we suggest high quality trials with clear definition of asthma outcomes after receiving ibuprofen or paracetamol at varying doses with longer follow-up are warranted for any conclusive finding.
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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.