Antipyretic effect of ibuprofen in Gabonese children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Table 2 Fever clearance time, fever time, and the area under the curve at different fever threshold in the two treatment groups

	Fever threshold (°C)	Ibuprofen N = 22	Placebo N = 25	Difference¹ (95% CI)	P value²
FCT³, mean (SD)	37.5	41.0 (21.0)	52.0 (24.0)	11.0 (-2.2 – 24.1)	0.102
	37.8	37.0 (21.0)	44.0 (24.1)	7.0 (-6.4 – 20.0)	0.307
	38.0	29.0 (23.0)	41.0 (22.3)	12.0 (-0.9 – 25.5)	0.067
FT⁴, mean (SD)	37.5	18.3 (15.5)	28.0 (16.0)	9.7 (0.5 – 19.0)	0.040
	37.8	13.4 (13.4)	22.6 (13.1)	9.2 (1.4 – 17.0)	0.022
	38.0	11.4 (11.9)	19.9 (11.5)	8.5 (1.6 – 15.3)	0.017
	38.5	7.4 (8.5)	13.0 (9.1)	5.7 (0.5 – 10.9)	0.032
	39.0	4.2 (5.2)	9.1 (7.8)	4.8 (0.9 – 8.7)	0.018
	39.5	1.8 (2.6)	6.0 (6.6)	4.2 (1.2 – 7.2)	0.007
	40.0	0.2 (0.4)	2.5 (3.9)	2.3 (0.7 – 4.0)	0.007
AUC_fever⁵, mean (SD)	37.5	16.6 (17.3)	31.9 (21.0)	15.3 (3.9 – 26.7)	0.010
	37.8	11.9 (13.2)	24.4 (17.4)	12.5 (3.3 – 21.6)	0.009
	38.0	9.4 (10.8)	20.1 (15.3)	10.7 (2.8 – 18.6)	0.009
	38.5	4.8 (5.9)	12.1 (11.0)	7.3 (2.0 – 12.6)	0.008
	39.0	2.0 (2.6)	6.7 (7.2)	4.7 (1.4 – 8.0)	0.006
	39.5	0.5 (0.8)	2.9 (3.9)	2.5 (0.7 – 4.2)	0.006
	40.0	0.03 (0.1)	0.8 (1.6)	0.8 (0.1 – 1.4)	0.026

¹The mean differences between treatment groups were assessed by student t-test.
²P-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant.
³FCT (in hour): Fever clearance time (The time from the commencement of ibuprofen or placebo therapy to the time that the temperature fell below and remained less or equal a determined fever threshold until parasite clearance).
SD: standard deviation
⁴FT (in hour): fever time (the time spent at a temperature equal or superior to a determined fever threshold)
⁵AUC_fever (in °C.hour): Area under the curve with fever (the area covered by a temperature curve at a determined fever threshold).
The AUC_fever was calculated by use of the trapezoid rule.

ISSN: 1475-2875