Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to ADHD in offspring

Acetaminophen use in pregnant women may increase the risk of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is commonly used to treat pain or fevers during pregnancy. According to the researchers, the drug may cause a negative impact on sex and other hormones in the mother, which in turn increases the chances of behavioral disabilities like ADHD in children, states the study.

The researchers looked at 64,322 children and mothers who had been part of the 1996-2002 Danish Birth Cohort. Seven years after giving birth, the participants took part in a survey in which they reported on behavioral disabilities in their kids. The data on the number of cases for hyperkinetic disorders and the drugs prescribed were collected from Danish registries.

More than half of the mothers claimed to be using acetaminophen during pregnancy. Those using the drug were 37 percent more likely to give birth to children who were later diagnosed with a severe form of ADHD known as hyperkinetic disorder. Furthermore, women who took the drug also had a 29 percent higher chance of having children who were prescribed medication for ADHD, and a 13 percent greater chance of having a child who exhibited ADHD-like behaviors by age seven.

The risks were magnified when women used the drug during more than one trimester.

The researchers said their study emphasizes the need for caution when taking drugs during pregnancy.

"We really have to be more careful about what pregnant women actually put into their bodies... even substances we think are harmless or safe may not be," said Beate Ritz, the lead author of the study, reports Fox News. "One should really recommend women not take anything not indicated by their medical needs and they should think twice before medicating a slight headache or fever,"

However, the researchers claim that further interventions are required before the findings are put into practice.

"Findings from this study should be interpreted cautiously and should not change practice," Miriam Cooper and colleagues at the Cardiff University School of Medicine wrote in an accompanying editorial in JAMA Pediatrics. "However, they underline the importance of not taking a drug's safety during pregnancy for granted."