Brief history of antipyretic therapy.
Both external cooling and pharmacotherapy have been used to treat fever since time immemorial. In the past century such treatments have proliferated at an astonishing rate. The COX-2 inhibitors are the most recent additions to the antipyretic pharmacopoeia. Additional research is needed to determine whether they represent an important new chapter in antipyretic therapy's long history or, for that matter, if the benefits of any currently available treatment for fever outweigh its cost.
Mackowiak
P A
PA
Medical Care Clinical Center, VA Maryland Health Care System, and Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Philip.Mackowiak@med.va.gov
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D020156:Salicylic Acid