| Abstract: | The daily dosage of salicylates is traditionally very high for patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In order to achieve the optimal therapeutic effect, serum salicylate levels are kept at 30-35 mg/100 ml (2175-2540 mumol/l). The recommended daily dosage in the textbooks is about 100 mg/kg of body weight, and the reported dosage/m2 of body surface area has been 3.2 g/m2/day. These dosages are, however, too high in clinical routine. In the present investigation, 19 children were treated with salicylates for 15 days with daily check-ups of the serum salicylate levels. Seven of these children had symptoms of salicylate intoxication which corresponded closely to the serum salicylate levels. If the daily dosage of salicylates exceeds 3 g/m2 of body surface area, intoxication can be expected. |
