Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol or paracetamol, can increase the risk of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children when exposed to the painkiller during pregnancy.
The study was published in BMC Environmental Health. It was led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of environmental health, was senior author with co-authors from other institutions.
Harvard Study on Paracetamol and ADHD in Children
Paracetamol is one of the most popular and used painkiller in the world, however, the use of the drug in recent years has been scrutinised. For the study, the researchers analysed more than 100,000 people from 46 previous studies. They used the Navigation Guide Systematic Review methodology, which is considered to be the gold-standard framework for synthesising and evaluating environmental health data.
This also helped researchers to conduct a rigorous, comprehensive analysis that supported evidence of an association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and increased risk of autism, ADHD and other NDDs.
How Timing of Paracetamol Use Affects Risk
For the study, the researchers collected data on when the drug was taken, in the first, second or third trimester, or throughout the whole pregnancy. They linked this with that of the mothers’ medical records.
The researchers said that while steps should be taken to limit acetaminophen use, the drug is important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also harm children.
Guidelines for Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy
The researchers said, “We recommend judicious acetaminophen use—lowest effective dose, shortest duration—under medical guidance, tailored to individual risk-benefit assessments, rather than a broad limitation.”
Speaking about the study, they said, “Our findings show that higher-quality studies are more likely to show a link between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased risks of autism and ADHD.”
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