A new study is once again claiming a link between the use of acetaminophen, the primary ingredient in Tylenol and other painkiller medications, and childhood asthma.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics (PDF file), looked at years of research from around the world to determine that there was too much evidence of a link for doctors not to advise against the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy, infancy and childhood.
Dr. John T. McBride, director of the Robert T. Stone Respiratory Center and vice chair of the pediatrics department at Akron’s Children’s Hospital, compared previous studies and evidence for his report. He determined:
A growing number of studies have documented such a strong association between acetaminophen exposure and asthma that it is possible that much of the dramatic increase in childhood asthma over the past 30 years has been related to the use of acetaminophen.
McBride further wrote:
The epidemiologic association between acetaminophen use and asthma prevalence and severity in children and adults is well established. A variety of observations suggest that acetaminophen use has contributed to the recent increase in asthma prevalence in children:
(1) the strength of the association;
(2) the consistency of the association across age, geography, and culture;
(3) the dose-response relationship;
(4) the timing of increased acetaminophen use and the asthma epidemic;
(5) the relationship between per-capita sales of acetaminophen and asthma prevalence across countries;
(6) the results of a double-blind trial of ibuprofen and acetaminophen for treatment of fever in asthmatic children; and
(7) the biologically plausible mechanism of glutathione depletion in airway mucosa.
McBride further concluded:
Until future studies document the safety of this drug, children with asthma or at risk for asthma should avoid the use of acetaminophen.
McBride asserts that so much data exists to suggest a correlation between acetaminophen and asthma that drug makers should have to prove that it's safe instead of requiring researchers to prove that it's unsafe before its use is again recommended for young children or pregnant women.
Numerous studies have shown a link between acetaminophen use (before and after birth) and asthma in children already. Among them:
- Earlier this year, researchers in New Zealand published findings indicating that that risk of a child developing asthma or breathing problems was 21% higher when the mother took acetaminophen during pregnancy.
- In 2009, Canadian researchers linked acetaminophen to increased asthma risk for children. They found that children who were given acetaminophen before they were one year old had a 47% increased chance of developing asthma, pregnant women who used acetaminophen were 28% more likely to have a child with asthma, and children who took acetaminophen were 60% more likely than other children to be diagnosed with asthma within the year following the medication’s use.
So what should mothers use instead of Tylenol?
During pregnancy, look for other pain relief options for minor pains. For instance, try soaking in a warm bath with epsom salts for muscle aches or ask your partner to give you a massage. You may also be able to find relief through the use of dietary changes, rest, essential oils, ice packs, chiropractic care and other types of remedies.
Don't simply switch to another type of pain reliever, however. Ibuprofin (the main ingredient in Advil and Motrin) has also been linked to some health risks.
Talk to your doctor or midwife about other options if you are dealing with more severe pain.
For infants, first determine if any treatment is needed. Many parents give infants Tylenol to lower fevers but fevers actually help the body get over illness faster. Find other ways to make baby comfortable and let the fever help.
In other cases, consider the use of other remedies. Teething pain can be helped with the use of cool objects to teethe on (dampen an organic cloth, roll it into a tube and freeze for a natural teether), homeopathic teething tablets, a light massage of the affected area and many other ways.
This study does not prove that Tylenol will give your child asthma, nor does it suggest that you should go without pain relief for you or your child when it's truly needed. It is certainly a cause for further study and a look at other options, though, and McBride cautions that families with higher risks of asthma should be especially careful about using the drug.
Comments