Why Paracetamol Is Safer Than Ibuprofen for Dengue Fever?

Pharmacy
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When treating fever and pain in dengue, choosing the right medicine is crucial. Paracetamol is the safer option because it effectively reduces fever without increasing bleeding risk. Dengue often lowers platelet counts, making patients prone to bleeding. Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, can worsen this by affecting platelet function and irritating the stomach, increasing the chance of dangerous bleeding. It can also harm the kidneys, which dengue may already affect. For these reasons, doctors recommend paracetamol over ibuprofen to manage symptoms safely during dengue infection.

Summary

While both ibuprofen and paracetamol reduce fever and pain, paracetamol is the safer choice in dengue due to its minimal impact on bleeding and kidney function. Using ibuprofen can increase the risk of bleeding and other complications, making it a less suitable option in dengue management.

MBH/PS

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Insightful. Are there any other resources that may back this up? I’d like to extend my knowledge about the topic.

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Paracetamol for dengue fever: no benefit and potential harm? - The Lancet Global Health

I have attached an article for your Reference. Please review it, as it provides the WHO dengue treatment guidelines for patients experiencing high fever.

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Right. Being a COX-1 inhibitor, ibuprofen reduces the levels of thromboxane A2 enzyme, affecting platelet aggregation, prolonging the bleeding and clotting time. Paracetamol, otherwise, shows no such adverse effects. In cases like dengue fever, patients on anticoagulants or patients with a genetic haematological disorder, COX-1 inhibitors should be avoided.

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exactly!

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