The use of dipyrone (metamizol) as an analgesic in children: What is the evidence?

Dipyrone has analgesic, spasmolytic, and antipyretic effects and is used to treat pain. Due to a possible risk of agranulocytosis with the use of dipyrone, it has been banned in a number of countries. The most commonly used data for the use of dipyrone are related to adults. Information relating to the use of dipyrone in children is scarce. Given the potential added value of dipyrone in the treatment of pain, a review of the literature was conducted to obtain more insight into the analgesic efficacy of dipyrone in children as well as the safety of dipyrone in terms of adverse events. A literature search was done for original articles (in English, German, or Spanish language) which met the following criteria: the use of dipyrone for pain and children up to the age of 17 years old. All titles and abstracts retrieved were reviewed, independently, by two of the authors, for their suitability for inclusion. The references of the selected articles were also checked for additional relevant papers. The publications were categorized into case reports, observational studies, or randomized controlled trials. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, the Jadad score was used. In the limited available data, the analgesic efficacy of intravenous dipyrone appears similar to that of intravenous paracetamol. Evidence is lacking to support the claim that dipyrone is equivalent or even superior to Non-Steroid-Anti-Inflammatory-Drugs in pediatric pain. While the absolute risk of agranulocytosis with dipyrone in children, based on available literature, cannot be determined, case reports suggest that this risk is not negligible.

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