Ibuprofen, one of the two drugs that are safe to give children with a fever, has been found to cause stomach ulcers in a small group of children who were given age-appropriate doses. For a small number of children, giving age-appropriate doses of ibuprofen may cause stomach ulcers.
A report at the recent meeting of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology described four children age 16-36 months seen for vomiting blood (hematemesis) during a 12-month period. Three of the children had received one dose of ibuprofen and one two doses. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (inserting a flexible tube down the esophagus, through the stomach, and into the first part of the small intestine) showed a stomach ulcer in all of these otherwise healthy children. There was no other apparent cause for ulcers in these children.
"It's a small group so it's hard to generalize, but I would try as much as possible to avoid NSAIDs [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] in the treatment of fever in young children and use acetaminophen whenever possible," said Marvin S. Medow, PhD, one of the study's authors.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol, Tempra and others) is as effective, has a longer history of use in children, and doesn't cause bleeding or ulcers. Many doctors recommend it as the first treatment for fever and pain in children.
Family Practice News, 1/15/06.
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