Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Oct 2003
Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial[Treatment of stroke by reducing the body temperature; 'Paracetamol (acetaminophen) in stroke' (PAIS): start of a clinical trial].
Subfebrile temperatures and fever in acute stroke are associated with poor functional outcome. A 1 degree C rise in body temperature may double the risk of a poor outcome in patients who are admitted within 12 hours from the onset of symptoms. Two randomised double-blind clinical trials in patients with acute ischaemic stroke have shown that treatment with a daily dose of 6 g paracetamol results in a small but rapid and potentially worthwhile reduction of 0.3 degree C (95% CI: 0.1-0.5) in body temperature. ⋯ The primary outcome is death or dependency at three months. The study protocol is simple, and the amount of data to be gathered is limited. The trial will run for four years.