ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Pediatrica 2018 August;70(4):325-30

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4946.16.04614-4

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

National modulators of symptomatic fever management in children: comparative analysis of survey data

Sebastiano A. LAVA ^{1, 2, 3} ✉, Maristella SANTI ^{1, 2}, Gregorio P. MILANI ^{4, 5}, Mario G. BIANCHETTI ^{6, 7}, Giacomo D. SIMONETTI ^{6, 7}

¹ University Children’s Hospital, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland; ² University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; ³ Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacological Sciences of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland; ⁴ Pediatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; ⁵ Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; ⁶ Department of Pediatrics of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland; ⁷ Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland

BACKGROUND: In symptomatic fever management of children, cultural differences have been detected. We aimed at investigating the presence of national modulators of symptomatic fever management.
METHODS: We analyzed the data collected in the context of the Swiss national survey on symptomatic fever management in children and of an adapted version of that survey performed in Lombardy (Northern Italy).
RESULTS: Ibuprofen (P<0.001) and an alternation regimen with 2 drugs (P<0.001) are more often prescribed in Switzerland than in Lombardy. In front of a comfortable child whose fever has not responded to the first antipyretic, Swiss pediatricians are more aggressive than Italian colleagues (P<0.001). In an 18-month-old child, the rectal administration route of paracetamol is less often chosen in Lombardy than in Switzerland (P<0.025). Additionally, some previously identified cultural differences among linguistically different regions of Switzerland (role of reduced general appearance and perceived frequency of fever phobia) held true also beyond national borders.
CONCLUSIONS: Several significant differences between Northern Italy and the different speaking regions of Switzerland were detected. This suggests the existence of national modulators of symptomatic fever management in children.

KEY WORDS: Child - Fever - Ibuprofen - Antipyretics - Acetaminophen - Surveys and questionnaires