Paracetamol use during pregnancy may expose your baby to asthma

Mothers-to-be, beware. Your child is more likely to develop asthma if you use paracetamol -- a common painkiller -- during pregnancy, a new study has warned.

Mothers-to-be, beware. Your child is more likely to develop asthma if you use paracetamol -- a common painkiller -- during pregnancy, a new study has warned.

Using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, researchers compared associations between several conditions during pregnancy (with and without the use of paracetamol) and asthma developing in the 114,500 children in the study.

Read: Tip of the day: Eating fish during pregnancy ups your child’s IQ

They examined asthma outcomes at ages three and seven, and evaluated the likelihood of the association being as a result of the three most common triggers for paracetamol use in pregnancy -- pain, fever, and influenza.

“Uncovering potential adverse effects is of public health importance, as paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller among pregnant women and infants,” said Maria Magnus from the University of Bristol in UK. Results showed that 5.7% of the children had asthma at age three, and 5.1% had asthma at age seven.

Read: Signs of food allergies may be present at birth: Study

The findings indicated that prenatal paracetamol exposure showed an independent association with asthma development. The association was similar whether used for influenza, fever, or pain. The research was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Watch: How Do Pain Relievers Work?