Paracetamol link to asthma in young

12 April 2012

A common painkiller may be one of the key driving forces behind the worldwide epidemic of childhood asthma, according to evidence from a major study.

Researchers who analysed data on more than 200,000 children found strong links between paracetamol use and the development of asthma.

Taking paracetamol once a month more than tripled the chances of six and seven-year-olds suffering attacks.

The drug was also associated with an increased risk of hayfever - and eczema.

Scientists believe paracetamol may cause changes in the body that leave a child more vulnerable to inflammation and allergies.

Although the study authors cannot be sure that taking paracetamol is causing the disease, rather than merely being associated with it, there are good reasons to believe this is the case.

The research highlights a dose-dependent response with more exposure to the drug resulting in more asthma attacks.

Exposure also tended to precede the response, pointing to a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study, part of a worldwide investigation called the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), spanned 73 centres in 31 countries.

It found that giving children paracetamol in the first year of life increased the risk of later asthma symptoms in six and seven-year-olds by 46%.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in