Trump claim linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism debunked by review

Scientists person dismissed warnings from Donald Trump linking paracetamol usage during gestation to autism.

The US president made the allegation successful September arsenic helium claimed determination had been a "meteoric rise" successful cases of autism.

Identifying the medicine - known arsenic Tylenol successful the States - arsenic a imaginable cause, Mr Trump suggested large women should "tough it out".

Now, aft reviewing dozens of studies connected the topic, experts person concluded determination is "no clinically important" nexus betwixt paracetamol usage and autism.

For the review, scientists identified 43 studies concerning autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity upset (ADHD) and intelligence disabilities.

Then they examined the result of pregnancies with and without paracetamol exposure, and recovered "paracetamol vulnerability during gestation was not associated with the hazard of autism" oregon ADHD, oregon intelligence disabilities.

Lead writer Asma Khalil of St George's Hospital successful London said: "We recovered nary clinically important summation successful the hazard of autism, ADHD oregon intelligence disablement among children wherever the mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy.

"And this is the important connection to the millions of large individuals - paracetamol is harmless to usage successful pregnancy.

"It remains the first-line attraction that we would urge if large women person symptom oregon fever, and it's besides accordant with recommendations oregon guidelines by assorted nationalist oregon planetary bodies."

Grainne McAlonan, prof of translational neuroscience astatine King's College London, highlighted that the reappraisal had besides examined a fig of sibling examination studies.

These studies compared children calved to the aforesaid mother, wherever she took paracetamol successful 1 pregnancy, but did not successful another.

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This "crucial" origin meant the reappraisal besides accounted for household history, Professor McAlonan said.

She continued: "Expectant mothers bash not request the accent of questioning whether medicine astir commonly utilized for a headache could person far-reaching effects connected their child's health.

"While the interaction of past year's announcement has been extensive, I anticipation the findings of this survey bring the substance to a close."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This large reappraisal can, yet again, reassure mothers-to-be everyplace that determination is nary grounds whatsoever to nexus the usage of paracetamol by large women to autism, ADHD oregon disabilities successful their children.

"Our country's starring scientists, doctors and the NHS are wide that paracetamol is harmless to instrumentality erstwhile large and successful symptom oregon suffering a fever."

The reappraisal was published successful the journal, The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health.