Taking paracetamol during pregnancy could harm the unborn baby, research suggests
Taking paracetamol during pregnancy could harm the unborn child, new research suggests.
A study showed that children who had been exposed to paracetamol for more than 28 days before they were born had poorer motor skills, worse communication skills and more behavioural problems by the age of three.
The survey of more than 3,000 siblings showed the same trend was seen with paracetamol taken for less than 28 days, but this trend was weaker.
Tests using ibuprofen showed no long-term effects on the child.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health looked into the possible effects of the drug which is the most commonly used medicine in pregnancy.
The study examined data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study to investigate the effect of paracetamol during pregnancy on development, behaviour and temperament at three years of age.
By comparing children who were exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy with unexposed siblings of the same sex, researchers could control for a variety of genetic and environmental factors, in addition to other important factors such as infections, fever, use of other medications, alcohol intake and smoking.
To investigate whether the underlying illness could be the cause of the effect on the children, and not paracetamol itself, the researchers examined the effects of ibuprofen but did not find any similar long-term effects.
Professor Hedvig Nordeng of the School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, who collaborated on the project, said: ‘The results strengthen our concern that long-term use of paracetamol during pregnancy may have an adverse effect on child development, but that occasional use for short periods is probably not harmful to the foetus.
‘Importantly, we cannot assume that there is a causal relationship between maternal use of paracetamol during pregnancy and adverse effects in children from an epidemiological study.
‘Since this is the only study to show this, there is a need for further research to confirm or refute these results.’
He added: ‘The findings support the advice of medical authorities; the first choice for pain is paracetamol, but one should be restrictive with all medicine use in pregnancy.’
Children whose mothers took paracetamol when they were pregnant are more likely to have behavioural problems. They are also more likely to have poor communication skills and poor motor skills
The study is a collaboration between the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, and was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Previous research has shown a link between taking paracetamol in pregnancy and children developing ADHD.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that taking paracetamol increases the risk of ADHD by a third.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2589011/Could-taking-paracetamol-pregnancy-harm-baby-The-painkiller-cause-babies-develop-poor-communication-skills-behavioural-problems.html#ixzz2wzxnQyzL
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