Table 1

Subjects' baseline characteristics.


Total (N = 70)
Combined ibuprofen & acetaminophen (N = 37)
Ibuprofen (N = 33)
P value

Male gender N (%)
45 (64.3)
26 (70.3)
19 (57.6)
0.3
Age (years)




Mean (SD)
3.7 (3.1)
3.7 (3.3)
3.6 (2.9)
0.9
Range
0.5–12.8



Illness duration (Days)




Mean (SD)
4.7 (4.1)
4.6 (4.9)
4.7 (2.9)
0.9
Range
1–30
1–30
1–14

Fever aetiology N (%)




Viral
44 (62.9)
26 (70.3)
18 (54.5)

Bacterial
19 (27.1)
8(21.6)
11 (33.3)
0.4
Other
7 (10.0)
3 (8.1)
4 (12.1)

Hospital N (%)




AUBMC
32 (45.7)
16 (43.2)
16 (48.5)
0.7
Najjar
38 (54.3)
21 (56.8)
17 (51.5)

Previous antipyretic N (%)
68 (98.6)
37 (100)
31 (96.9)
0.3
Antibiotic intake N (%)
45 (67.2)
22 (59.5)
23 (76.7)
0.1
Baseline temperature (°C)




Mean (SD)
39.3 (0.5)
39.3 (0.5)
39.4 (0.6)
0.3
Temperature at 4 hours (°C)




Mean (SD)
37.5 (0.7)
37.5 (0.7)
37.7 (0.9)
0.3

Nabulsi et al. BMC Medicine 2006 4:4   doi:10.1186/1741-7015-4-4