Take Two Aspirin and Prolong the Flu
Fever-reducers may hinder infection fighting
By Anne Burke
HealthScout Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthScout) --
With the flu season poised to unleash its annual
fury, here’s a warning: Don’t mess with Mother Nature.
Taking aspirin or Tylenol for the flu actually could
prolong your illness by up to 3½ days, say researchers at the University of Maryland.
That’s because fever may be the body’s natural way
of fighting an infection like the flu, they say, and taking aspirin or acetaminophen—the
generic name for products such as Tylenol—may interfere with that process.
“You’re messing with Mother Nature,” says Dr. Leland
Rickman, an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California,
San Diego. An elevated temperature “may actually help the body fight the
infection quicker or better than if you don’t have a fever.”
The Maryland researchers found that influenza A
sufferers who were treated with aspirin or acetaminophen extended their illness
from five days to about 8½ days, says Karen Plaisance, an associate professor
at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and one of the study’s
authors.
Influenza A tends to be the dominant flu in any
season.
continued
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