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Paracetamol use in early life and asthma: prospective birth cohort study

Adrian J Lowe1, John B Carlin, Catherine M Bennett

  • 1Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia. lowe.adrian@gmail.com

BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|September 17, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Early childhood paracetamol use does not appear to increase the risk of developing asthma. This finding holds true even after accounting for respiratory infections in children with a family history of allergies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Epidemiology of Childhood Diseases
  • Pharmacological Risk Assessment

Background:

  • Concerns exist regarding potential links between early-life medication use and the development of chronic conditions like asthma.
  • Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a common antipyretic and analgesic widely used in infants and young children.
  • Understanding the safety profile of paracetamol in relation to asthma development is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the use of paracetamol in early childhood is an independent risk factor for the development of childhood asthma.
  • To examine the association between paracetamol exposure and various allergic outcomes in a high-risk pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective birth cohort study was conducted within the Melbourne Atopy Cohort Study.
  • 620 children with a family history of allergic disease were monitored from birth to 7 years, with paracetamol use recorded up to age 2.
  • Childhood asthma was the primary outcome, assessed via questionnaires at ages 6 and 7 years; secondary outcomes included infantile wheeze, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and sensitization.

Main Results:

  • Paracetamol was frequently used, with 51% of children using it by 12 weeks and 97% by 2 years.
  • A crude weak association was observed between increased paracetamol use frequency and childhood asthma risk (OR 1.18).
  • This association disappeared after adjusting for respiratory infections (OR 1.08), and no link was found for non-respiratory paracetamol use (OR 0.95).

Conclusions:

  • Early paracetamol use was not associated with an increased risk of subsequent allergic disease in children with a family history of allergies.
  • The observed weak association was likely confounded by respiratory infections, not a direct effect of paracetamol.
  • These findings suggest that paracetamol use in early life does not elevate the risk of developing asthma.
Abstract

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