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Re: grandma's aspirin

I am seeing a number of kids getting aspirin because the parents have Hep C and have been told that Tylenol is dangerous for them. We have to have a talk about the difference between an adult with Hep C and a child.

Vicki

Dogwood Ridge wrote:

Tell me if this is just an East Texas thing or if any of you have noticed the
following...   For years I did not hear of any child receiving aspirin as an
antipyretic and the few times I'd hear a parent say "I gave him aspirin for
the fever" it was because they used the word "aspirin" interchangeably with
Tylenol.  But, in the last year, I have heard an increasing number of parents
telling me that the child was at the grandparent's house when they became
febrile and the only thing available was baby aspirin.  I bet there are more
households with baby aspirin in the medicine cabinet now than even a couple of
years ago.  I sure hope we don't start seeing an increase in Reye's Syndrome.
Maybe it's time for some new public service announcement to the effect of "Yes
grandma and grandpa- take the baby aspirin to reduce colon cancer and heart
disease but please don't use it as a fever reducer for your grandkids viral
illnesses."  What do you think?  Regards. Kim Burlingham, MD  rural peds.
Texas