Allergies, Hayfever and Sinusitis
Fast Facts: Allergies, Hayfever, Sinusitis
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Does paracetamol really reduce fever?
Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the Western world. It is used as an effective pain reliever and it is also widely used to reduce fever, especially in infants. So how effective is paracetamol for reducing fever? Paracetamol’s mean antipyretic effect is only 0.24°C, which is insignificant compared to an infant’s overall temperature. Therefore, there has been some questions raised regarding the efficacy of paracetamol as an antipyretic agent.
Fever helps heal.
As any Natural Medicine Practitioner will know, fevers can actually speed up recovery¹, but high temperatures do need to be closely monitored, particularly in children. Antipyretic strategies should be employed when fevers exceed 39°C in children and 40°C in adults.
Could paracetamol cause allergies?
An analysis of 205,487 children aged 6 to 7 years from 31 countries found that the use of paracetamol in the first year of life and in later childhood is associated with increased risk of developing asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema.² Furthermore, overuse of paracetamol may reduce antibody-mediated antimicrobial responses and actually prolong infections.¹
References
- Warwick C. Paracetamol and fever management. J R Soc Promot Health. 2008;128(6):320-3.
- Beasely R et al. ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. Association between paracetamol use in infancy and childhood, and risk of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children aged 6-7 years. Lancet 2008. 372(9643):1039-48.