Follow up – Ali Mualla:
Paracetamol has been known since the beginning of the last century, but its use as a pain reliever began in the fifties, and it is among the safe home medicines, but a new study warned mothers not to take it during pregnancy.
The study confirmed that children born to mothers who took “paracetamol” during pregnancy are more likely to have autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The researchers analyzed 6 previous scientific studies that examined the effect of its intake on children, and included 70,000 children from the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece and Spain, according to a report published by the British newspaper, The Sun.
The new study, conducted by researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, found that children born to mothers who took the drug during pregnancy were 19 percent more likely to develop symptoms of autism, and 21 percent more likely to develop symptoms of ADHD.
“Prenatal exposure to paracetamol affects boys and girls in a similar way, noting that sex does not,” said study lead author Silvia Alemani.
Researcher Jordi Sonier explained that pregnant women should not be deprived of over-the-counter painkillers, stressing that they should only be used when necessary.
For his part, Professor Andrew Sheenan, professor of obstetrics at Kings College London Hospital, who was not involved in the study, said that “paracetamol” is an important drug to reduce high temperature, which can harm pregnancy significantly.
He explained that if the link between taking paracetamol during pregnancy and a child with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is true, the risk is actually small because autism and ADHD are rare diseases.
It is reported that autism affects one in every 100 children in the UK.
Research suggests that it arises from a combination of genetic and environmental influences, but no one knows the true cause.
