Paracetamol use during pregnancy linked to autism?

Current evidence does not link the use of paracetamol during pregnancy to autism, experts said following a new review of studies on this hypothesis, according to The Lancet.

US President Donald Trump said in September that there had been a “meteoric rise” in autism cases and that Tylenol — known as paracetamol in the UK — was a possible cause, CE Report quotes ATA.

He said the painkiller should not be taken during pregnancy. Trump’s statement was criticised by autism advocates and scientists in the UK and around the world.

Experts said they hoped the latest study would “settle the issue.”

Researchers conducted an extensive review on the topic, which was published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health.

An international team of academics, including experts from the UK, examined research databases covering all studies that reported risk estimates for autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disabilities.

Studies eligible for review compared pregnancies with and without exposure to paracetamol and examined validated questionnaires or medical records on health outcomes.

They also reviewed other conditions the mothers had and any additional treatments they received.

Around 43 studies were included in a systematic review — a comprehensive assessment of the evidence — and 17 studies in a meta-analysis, a research method that systematically combines findings from multiple studies.

A number of so-called “sibling comparison studies” were also included.

These studies compare children born to the same mother in one pregnancy where paracetamol was used and another pregnancy where it was not.

The authors concluded that exposure to paracetamol during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.