Paracetamol during pregnancy can increase the risk of developmental problems. Exposed children suffer more from autism, inattention and impulsivity.
Paracetamol is not that harmless. The risk of autism and developmental disorders is increased in children exposed during pregnancy. The use of this analgesic is however frequent in pregnant women. It is even one of the few drugs that are not recommended during pregnancy. But there are more and more studies indicating the opposite. The most recent appeared in theInternational Journal of Epidemiology and concerns 2,644 mother-child pairs.
In pain treatment
40% of women took paracetamol while they were pregnant, as part of this study conducted by the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (Barcelona, Spain). The researchers divided them into three groups: those who had consumed them intermittently, on a recurring basis, and those who had never needed them. Most of the time, paracetamol was indicated to relieve pain.
This analgesic is considered harmless by the Reference Center on Teratogenic Agents (CRAT). “The published data are very numerous and reassuring”, he explains. on his site. It is true that at present, the benefit exceeds the risks mentioned in publications which require confirmation on larger groups.
This latest study is the first to suggest a link between paracetamol and developmental disorders. The children were followed during pregnancy, at the age of one and then five years. The risk of attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity is increased by 30% in girls and boys whose mothers took the painkiller regularly during gestation. This translates to poorer results on a test that assesses inattention, impulsiveness, and speed of visual analysis.
Men more sensitive
Symptoms suggestive of autism spectrum disorder are also more numerous in young male participants. If no diagnosis has been formally made, “the increase in symptoms in a child can affect it, even if they are not severe enough to ensure a diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorder,” says Claudia Avella- Garcia, co-author of the study.
According to the researchers, several factors may explain the greater susceptibility of male fetuses to paracetamol. Work on animals has already shown that this phenomenon does occur. Male hormones are probably involved, according to Claudia Avella-Garcia. “Our results suggest the presence of endocrine and androgenic disruption, to which male brains may be more sensitive,” she explains.
In general, his team assumes that the mode of action of paracetamol may interfere with the brain development of the fetus. It is its effect on cannabinoid receptors that is in question.
“Since these receptors normally help determine how neurons develop and connect with others, paracetamol can interfere with this process,” explains Dr Jordi Júlvez. The researcher also evokes a harmful effect on the immune system which degrades the capacity to assimilate the analgesic.
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