BACKGROUND The antipyretic effectiveness of rectal versus oral acetaminophen is not well established. This study is designed to compare the antipyretic effectiveness of two rectal acetaminophen doses (15 mg/kg) and (35 mg/kg), to the standard oral dose of 15 mg/kg. METHODS This is a randomized, double-dummy, double-blind study of 51 febrile children, receiving one of three regimens of a singl...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of tepid sponging and antipyretic drug versus only antipyretic drug among febrile children. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS 150 children 6 mo - 12 yr age with axillary temperature 101F. INTERVENTION Tepid sponging and antipyretic drug (Paracetamol) (n=73) or only antipyretic drug (Paracetamol) (n=77)...

Fever is frequently managed outside the purview of medical professionals, and antipyretic therapy, on the whole, is generally considered safe. However, each of the drugs used in the management of fever has significant toxicities. The purpose of this review is to examine the relative safety of such agents with a focus on the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen. Toxicity to the...

Kawasaki disease, an acute febrile vasculitis, predominantly affects children under the age of 5 years and is thought to be a rare disease in the developing world. It has previously never been reported in Ghana. We report 3 cases from February, 2007 to February, 2008. This potentially serious disease has no definitive diagnostic test and it is not unusual for diagnosis to be delayed with seriou...