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Acetaminophen in Pregnancy

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Anchor lead: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy may adversely affect the child, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Use of acetaminophen, marketed under the brand name Tylenol, may result in increased risk for autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in offspring. That’s according to a study by Xiaobin Wang, a pediatrician and researcher at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues.

Wang: (Xiaobin): This study was conducted in the Boston Birth Cohort. It’s a longitudinal cohort, we recruited a mother-baby pair at birth.  We have been following this cohort, the oldest is now already 20 years old. We found a significant association between cord blood biomarkers of acetaminophen and increased risk of childhood autism as well as ADHD risk.   :27

Wang points out that the markers of acetaminophen use in cord blood persist and can be measured later, and notes that there was more of a risk to develop these conditions the higher the level of the biomarkers, indicating greater use. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.