Acetaminophen During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism or…

Acetaminophen During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism or ADHD, Large Study Finds Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most commonly recommended medication for treating fever and pain during pregnancy. However, concerns about its potential link to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have led to considerable debate in recent years. A large study published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides further evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is unlikely to cause autism or ADHD, reinforcing findings from several previous international studies. Researchers analyzed electronic health records from more than 708,000 mother-child pairs in Hong Kong between 2001 and 2023. To better distinguish association from causation, the investigators used several advanced epidemiological approaches, including: Sibling-matched analysis, comparing siblings where one pregnancy involved acetaminophen exposure and another did not. Negative control analysis, examining parental acetaminophen use before conception and after delivery, when fetal exposure could not occur. The study found: No association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure