According to WebMD, acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma in children. A new study by Richard Beasley, MD, professor of medicine at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, found that the results should not be a cause for alarm and the doctors should still consider the drug safe to take. It is unknown if the popular painkiller has a true cause and effect when taken during pregnancy.
In a pooled result, the study found that any prenatal exposure to acetaminophen was associated with increased chances of asthma and wheezing in the children ages 1 ½ to 7. These findings are consistent with a 2009 meta-analysis that found an association between use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and both asthma and wheeze, as reported in the issue of Clinical and Experimental Allergy. Overall, the study found that using the painkiller during pregnancy was associated with a 21% increased risk of asthma in young children. No information was available on dosage or frequency of use.
The researchers felt that the message of the study should be that more urgent analysis is needed and to reinforce the general principle to avoid unnecessary medication during pregnancy. The scientists urge pregnant women to abstain from unnecessary use of acetaminophen but should consider it as a preferred analgesic to bring down fever.
Another Spanish study found a link between the use of acetaminophen by mothers at least once a month during the gestational period and the chance a child had wheezing by preschool age.
