It is not the first investigation that relates paracetamol with asthma. A few months ago we published in the blog the data of a study carried out with pregnant women that indicated that the drug, considered allowed during pregnancy, especially used during the first trimester would increase the risk of respiratory problems in children and even contribute to the development of asthma during The first seven years of life.
Pointing to the same hypothesis, a very revealing new study has been published in The Lancet, a prestigious scientific journal. Although there is currently no evidence to stop recommending the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in babies, research indicates it as a risk factor for developing asthma in childhood.
The study is no small thing. It was carried out by the New Zealand Medical Research Institute, more than 200,000 children from 31 countries of the world participated and is part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC).
The scientists found that the use of acetaminophen in the child's first year of life was associated with a 46% increased risk of asthma when the child was between 6 and 7 years old. When the medicine had been used in the 12 months prior to the survey, the risk was 61% with moderate use and 120% with frequent use.
The use of acetaminophen in the first year of life was also linked to a 48% increase in the development of rhinoconjunctivitis and 35% in eczema.
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the most widely used drug among young babies when they have pain and fever because it is considered the most harmless analgesic, but of course its use cannot be indiscriminate.
Although the investigations are not conclusive but for the time being that research, it is recommended to administer paracetamol to children only when the fever is 38.5 degrees or more.
