According to media reports, US President Donald Trump still wants to officially establish a connection between paracetamol intake during pregnancy and the development of autism.
The pain reliever – internationally also known as Panadol or Tylenol brands – has so far been the standard medication for pregnant women when it comes to headaches, fever or pain. According to NHS, it is recommended as a “first choice” – but only in the short term and in the lowest possible dosage.
In the UK, around half of the pregnant women use paracetamol, and around 65 percent in the USA. So far, health authorities have primarily warned people with previous illnesses such as liver or kidney disorders as well as patients: inside with epilepsy medication of an increased risk. However, numerous studies have already made possible connections between paracetamol, autism and ADHD – without having to provide clear causal detection so far.
More and more autism diagnoses
The background to Trump’s expected announcement is a federal examination for the greatly increased number of autism diagnoses in the USA, guided by Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It was only in summer Harvard researchers emphasized that paracetamol should only be used as economical during pregnancy. An analysis of more than 100,000 people therefore resulted in the “strongest indications” so far.
“Even if the results do not prove a direct cause, the indications are consistent and worrying enough to demand further research,” said Didier Prada, co -author of the study and professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. However, he expressly warned that pregnant women abrupt the medication abruptly without consulting – even untreated fever could harm the child.
At the same time, experts warn: “There are studies that have found small relationships, but they are not consistent and do not provide proof that paracetamol causes autism,” said Australian autism researcher Andrew Whitehouse. Autism is a complex interplay of genetic and environmentally related factors.
