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A common painkiller used when treating
children with chickenpox has been linked to a deadly flesh-eating disease.
Some studies have found a higher
incidence of necrotising fasciitis among
chickenpox patients treated with ibuprofen.
The drugs are sold under brand-names including Motrin™,
Nuprin™, Advil™ and others. It is in the group known as non-steroidal
anti-inflammatories all of which have been linked to the disease.
Independently, three New Zealand doctors have published
a study in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal on necrotising fasciitis.
Of the 13 people
treated for the disease at the hospital's intensive care unit
in 1998 and 1999, 5
had been taking the drug Voltaren or other drugs in the same
group.
2 of
the
5- and one of the patients not taking those drugs - died.
A study of seven cases of the disease had found
that five patients had been taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs).
The mechanism by which NSAIDs increase the risk
of necrotising fasciitis may be by impairment of the
immune response, or by masking of the symptoms
of secondary infection, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment.
New
Zealand National News
February 1, 2001
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