Antipyretic therapy - Physiologic rationale, diagnostic implications, and clinical consequences

Various treatments have been used to suppress fever since antiquity. Surpri singly, few studies have been performed to ascertain the physiologic conseq uences of antipyresis and validate the rationale behind such therapy. More importantly, it has not been established conclusively that the benefits of antipyretic therapy outweigh its risks. The present review considers these issues in light of currently available data and formulates guidelines for a ntipyretic therapy based on these data.