Researchers have demysts long -standing concerns regarding influenza treatment in children

For decades, health professionals have debated the question of whether a common antiviral drug used to treat flu in children caused neuropsychiatric events or if the infection itself was the culprit.

Now, researchers at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital of Vanderbilt have demystified a long -standing theory on Oosltamivir, known as Tamiflu.

According to the study, published in Jama neurologyOseltamivir treatment during flu episodes was associated with a reduced risk of serious neuropsychiatric events, such as crises, altered mental state and hallucination.

“Our results have shown what many pediatricians had long suspected that flu, not the treatment of flu, is associated with neuropsychiatric events,” said the main investigator James Antoon, MD, PH.D., MPH, assistant pediatric professor in the division of pediatric hospital medicine.

“In fact, treatment at the Oseltamivir seems to prevent neuropsychiatric events rather than provoking them.”

Key points:

• The flu itself was associated with an increase in neuropsychiatric events compared to influenza, regardless of the use of the OSELTAMIVIG.
• Among the influenza children, people treated with the Oseltamivir had a reduction of approximately 50% of neuropsychiatric events.
• Among the influenza children, those who were treated with Oseltamivir had prophylactically the same rate of events as the reference group without flu.

“Together, these three results do not support the theory that the Oseltamivir increases the risk of neuropsychiatric events,” said Antoon. “It’s the flu.”

The team reviewed the disintegration data of a cohort of children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 who were registered in Tennessee Medicaid between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2020.

During the four -year period, 692,295 children, with an 11 -year -old median age, were included in the study cohort. During follow -up, the children of the study experienced 1,230 serious neuropsychiatric events (898 neurological and 332 psychiatric).

The definition of clinical results included both neurological events (crises, encephalitis, altered mental state, ataxia / movement disorders, vision changes, stunning, headache, sleep disorders) and psychiatric events (suicidal or self-aggregation, mood disorders).

“The 2024-2025 flu season has highlighted the severity of neurological complications associated with flu, many centers signaling an increased frequency and severity of neurological events during the last season,” said Antoon.

“It is important that patients and families know the real profile risk of the processing against flu, such as ooseltamivir, which are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

“These processing against flu is safe and effective, especially when used at the start of clinical diseases,” added the main author Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH, professor of biomedical health and computer policy at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Investigators hope that the results will reassure caregivers and healthcare professionals on the safety of the OSELTAMIVIR and its role in the prevention of complications associated with flu.