Paracetamol may raise asthma risk
Sep 28, 2008
INFANTS who have been given the common pain reliever, paracetamol may have a higher risk of developing asthma and eczema by the time they are six or seven years, a study covering children in 31 countries has found.<br>
By Fred Ouma and Agencies
INFANTS who have been given the common pain reliever, paracetamol may have a higher risk of developing asthma and eczema by the time they are six or seven years, a study covering children in 31 countries has found.
The findings were published in the journal Lancet together with two other studies, which found that runny noses and wheezing early in life may be strong predictors of asthma.
Suspicions of a possible link between paracetamol and asthma have been around for about 10 years with experts observing an increased use of the drug to a simultaneous rise in asthma.
They analysed data from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood for risk factors involved in asthma, hayfever and eczema in over 200,000 children.
The study found that giving paracetamol to treat fever in children in the first year of life meant that child had a 46% greater risk of having asthma symptoms at the age of six to seven.
It also found that six to seven year-olds who had taken paracetamol once a month in the 12 months prior had a three-fold increase risk of asthma.
Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand says there are mechanisms that may explain the association.
“Paracetamol reduces your antioxidant defences,†he says. “In the airways, that can lead to inflammation which is the basis of asthma and this may switch the immune system to become more allergic.â€
Wrong end of the stick?
Some researchers believe a viral infection, which causes fever and thus encourages paracetamol use might trigger the onset of asthma. Also children with allergies are more likely to be given paracetamol in the first place.
Dr. Denis Buluma of AAR says children with allergies are more likely to cough, wheeze or get a runny nose when they get a virus infection.
Dr. Wilford Karungi, an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health calls for controlled trials to test whether paracetamol causes asthma. Finding the answer is important because many people take paracetamol.
Beasley says one in five children aged six to seven in New Zealand are given paracetamol once a month. If the link is proven, 20%-40% of asthma cases might be attributed to paracetamol exposure.
Related studies
The Lancet revealed that allergic reactions causing a runny nose, were a strong predictor of asthma that develops in adulthood.
Valuable evidence
Dr. Jacinta Amadua, the commissioner for clinical services at Ministry of Health says: “It’s a fascinating study because we do not know why allergic diseases are more common today.
Paracetamol ‘still the safest’
However, the researchers emphasise that the study does not warrant parents switching to other drugs. Paracetamol should remain the drug to relieve pain and fever in children because its alternative, aspirin, was linked to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a complication in children and that provokes asthma attacks.
Treating fevers
Dr. Samuel Kasule of AAR, says paracetamol should be used only to treat serious fevers that are 38.50C or above. Other methods that bring down fever include giving the child plenty of fluids and removing their clothes.
INFANTS who have been given the common pain reliever, paracetamol may have a higher risk of developing asthma and eczema by the time they are six or seven years, a study covering children in 31 countries has found.
The findings were published in the journal Lancet together with two other studies, which found that runny noses and wheezing early in life may be strong predictors of asthma.
Suspicions of a possible link between paracetamol and asthma have been around for about 10 years with experts observing an increased use of the drug to a simultaneous rise in asthma.
They analysed data from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood for risk factors involved in asthma, hayfever and eczema in over 200,000 children.
The study found that giving paracetamol to treat fever in children in the first year of life meant that child had a 46% greater risk of having asthma symptoms at the age of six to seven.
It also found that six to seven year-olds who had taken paracetamol once a month in the 12 months prior had a three-fold increase risk of asthma.
Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand says there are mechanisms that may explain the association.
“Paracetamol reduces your antioxidant defences,†he says. “In the airways, that can lead to inflammation which is the basis of asthma and this may switch the immune system to become more allergic.â€
Wrong end of the stick?
Some researchers believe a viral infection, which causes fever and thus encourages paracetamol use might trigger the onset of asthma. Also children with allergies are more likely to be given paracetamol in the first place.
Dr. Denis Buluma of AAR says children with allergies are more likely to cough, wheeze or get a runny nose when they get a virus infection.
Dr. Wilford Karungi, an epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health calls for controlled trials to test whether paracetamol causes asthma. Finding the answer is important because many people take paracetamol.
Beasley says one in five children aged six to seven in New Zealand are given paracetamol once a month. If the link is proven, 20%-40% of asthma cases might be attributed to paracetamol exposure.
Related studies
The Lancet revealed that allergic reactions causing a runny nose, were a strong predictor of asthma that develops in adulthood.
Valuable evidence
Dr. Jacinta Amadua, the commissioner for clinical services at Ministry of Health says: “It’s a fascinating study because we do not know why allergic diseases are more common today.
Paracetamol ‘still the safest’
However, the researchers emphasise that the study does not warrant parents switching to other drugs. Paracetamol should remain the drug to relieve pain and fever in children because its alternative, aspirin, was linked to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a complication in children and that provokes asthma attacks.
Treating fevers
Dr. Samuel Kasule of AAR, says paracetamol should be used only to treat serious fevers that are 38.50C or above. Other methods that bring down fever include giving the child plenty of fluids and removing their clothes.