Aspirin And Tylenol May Prolong The Flu

In a review of several studies, flu sufferers who took one of the anti-fever medications were sick an average of 3.5 days longer than people who did not take either of the drugs. The anti-fever drugs may make the flu more bearable by relieving aches and pains, but they may make it last longer.

According to a report in the journal Pharmacotherapy, the investigators found that anti-fever drugs prolonged the duration of the flu, but not of the other infections. On average, flu symptoms lasted 5.3 days in participants who did not take aspirin or acetaminophen, compared with 8.8 days in people who took the anti-fever drugs.

Since study participants who took anti-fever drugs tended to have higher maximum temperatures and more symptoms, the researchers considered the possibility that more severe cases of the flu caused symptoms to last longer. But in an analysis that took into account the severity of illness and other factors, the use of anti-fever drugs was still linked to longer-lasting illness.

Exactly why the drugs are linked to prolonged flu symptoms is unclear, the report indicates. One possibility is that reducing fever may interfere with the immune system's response to an infection, the authors note.

Dr. Karen I. Plaisance, lead author and associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Maryland, noted that similar findings have been reported in studies of chickenpox. In the studies, shedding of the chickenpox virus increased in children who were treated with anti-fever drugs she said.

SOURCE: Pharmacotherapy 2000;20:1417-1422.