What did the latest medical study conclude about the information linking the use of paracetamol during pregnancy to autism

Existing evidence does not show a clear link between taking paracetamol during pregnancy and autism and ADHD in children, this is the conclusion reached by an extensive analysis carried out by researchers, write DPA and PA Media.

The researchers checked all the studies on this topic and concluded that they were of poor quality, presenting a “low to critically low” level of confidence in the findings suggesting such a link, notes Agerpres.

US President Donald Trump said in September that there had been “a meteoric rise” in autism cases and that Tylenol – the drug called paracetamol in the UK – was a potential cause.

Trump also said that this painkiller should not be taken during pregnancy, suggesting that pregnant women should “be patient.”

The president's comments have been criticized by autism campaigners as well as scientists in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

Now, in a new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), experts from universities including Liverpool and Birmingham have concluded that women should still be advised to take paracetamol when they need to treat their pain and fever during pregnancy.

“A lack of robust evidence”

The scientists said there was “a lack of robust evidence linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism and ADHD in the offspring”.

In addition, untreated fever, particularly in the first trimester, has been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects and premature birth – underscoring the need for women to be able to use paracetamol.

The research team also suggests that any apparent link between paracetamol and autism and ADHD in previous studies could be driven by genetic inheritance and environmental factors within families.

In this latest study, researchers looked at nine systematic reviews, which included a total of 40 observational studies on paracetamol use during pregnancy and the risk of autism, ADHD or other neurological effects.

All of these analyzes showed a possible to high association between maternal paracetamol use and autism and ADHD or both in children, but seven of them advised caution in interpreting the results.

Overall, the experts signing the BMJ article concluded that confidence in the findings of these analyzes is low (in the case of two of the analyses) and critically low (in the case of seven analyses).

“Existing evidence does not show a clear link between paracetamol exposure in utero and autism and ADHD in the offspring,” they added.

“Any apparent effect observed after in utero paracetamol exposure related to autism and ADHD in children may be driven by genetic inheritance and environmental factors or unmeasured factors,” the experts added.

Dimitrios Siassakos, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University College London said: “The high-quality methodology used in this umbrella review confirms what experts around the globe have been saying.”

“Evidence linking paracetamol use in pregnancy to autism is inconclusive, and those studies reporting an association are countered by the association of autism and ADHD with familial factors such as genetic inheritance and lifestyle,” added Siassakos.