Aspirin and Reye's Syndrome: The Change in Prescribing Habits of Health Professionals

Abstract

Epidemiological studies demonstrate the possible increased risk of Reye's syndrome after aspirin ingestion in children suffering from viral influenza or chicken pox. This study was conducted to determine whether the possible association between aspirin and Reye's syndrome in viral influenza and chicken pox deterred pediatricians and pharmacists in a large American city (Columbus, Ohio) from prescribing or recommending aspirin to their pediatric patients suffering from other causes of fever or pain. The results indicate that 90.6 percent of pediatricians and 97.8 percent of pharmacists no longer recommend aspirin to their pediatric patients, and an almost identical percentage recommend acetaminophen instead of aspirin. This change in prescribing habits of health professionals is reflected in a drop in sales of pediatric aspirin products with a simultaneous rise in sales of pediatric acetaminophen products reported by 93.3 percent of pharmacies. However, only 69.8 percent of pediatricians and 86.7 percent of pharmacists noted that their abstention from prescribing or recommending aspirin to children was rooted in a belief in a possible association between aspirin and Reye's syndrome.