Show Aspirin Tablets Can Be Very Aspirin one of the safest safes t drugs In the world worl Is the number number num ber one cause of poisoning g death in children under five According to Dr Alan K Done Director of the University University sity of Utah College of Medicine Medi cine cane Poison Control Center a athe atthe at atthe t the Salt SaIt Lake County General Gener Gener- al aspirin accounts for 28 per cent of the poisonIng poisoning poisoning poison poison- ing cases eases in children that are seen at the Center No drug is safer than aspirin as as- if it is used properly property said Dr Done Because it is not highly toxic it is available available available avail avail- able in large quantities and everybody has it in the home It is likely to be out where children can get hold of r it it and a one or year two-year-old child will win eat it regardless of its taste A year old will wiIl eat It like candy if it happens to b be the flavored kind Dr Done said that aspirin is not highly toxic to most adults But even water is toxic if taken in too large a quantity he inserted In children children children chil chil- dren aspirin has a more dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- effect than in adults For some reason aspirin can make a childs child's blood become overly acidic and this is usually usually usually ally the cause of death by aspirin aspirin as as- poisoning Aside from the danger of ofa a child accidentally eating too many aspirin on his own there is one other way he can receive receive receive re re- an of it This happens when parents give children much adult aspirin aspirin aspirin as as- without realizing that this apparently harmless dru drug can be quite toxic Adult dosages dosages dos dos- ages of aspirin should never be given to a child according to Dr Done Parents should be extremely extreme extreme- ly cautious even in giving baby childrens children's aspirin he said There are actually three kinds of aspirin Baby aspirin is one-half one grain per tablet Childrens Children's aspirin has one and one-fourth one grains and adult aspirin has five grains Giving a baby childrens children's aspirin actually actually ac ac- ac- ac amounts to the child receiving a dosage two and a quarter times over what it should be To be on the safe side it is best not to adminis adminis- administer ter aspirin at all to a small infant except upon the order of a physician he be added Dr Done also cautioned parents parents par par- against indiscriminately giving a small child aspirin to lower his his' fever instead of fi first st having the cause of the fever diagnosed and treated by the family physician physicians A fA moderate fever itself is not dangerous admonished Dr Done A Child has a temperature temperature temperature tem tem- of degrees because because because be be- cause of a basic disease If the signs of the disease such as fever are covered up the family family family fam fam- ily physician will have a difficult difficult difficult dif dif- dif dif- time tune diagnosing and following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing the progress of the underlying underlying underlying un un- disease A fever Isone is isone isone one of the best indications of the success or failure of treat treat- ment Whether it goes up or down may indicate what to do next but just lowering it with aspirin will not treat the ill ill- ness He added that parents who routinely treat a sick child childlike childlike childlike like an adult put him to bed and give him adult aspirin every every every ev ev- ev- ev ery three hours for three or four days could cause the result result result re re- sult of the childs child's being seriously seriously seriously se se- se- se poisoned In general people use too much aspirin commented Dr Done It is not really a treatment treatment treatment treat treat- ment for any disease except rheumatic fever and arthritis It treats symptoms Some people people peo peo- plc are allergic to it and if used to excess or indiscriminately indiscriminately indiscriminately it can cause gastrointestInal gastrointestinal gastro in bleeding and ulceration ulceration ulceration tion of the stomach The Poison Control Center will be moved to the new UniversIty University University Uni Uni- of Utah Medical Center Center Cen Cen- ter when it opens next spring |