September 18, 2008

scientists comment on Lancet study into paracetamol and childhood asthma

The study found an association between the giving of products containing paracetamol to children at an early age, and the incidence of childhood asthma.

Prof Jeffrey Aronson, President of the British Pharmacological Society, said:

“The most impressive aspect of the report from Beasley and colleagues is the dose-relatedness of the effect of paracetamol, which makes the association likely to be real. This confirms previous findings and underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever of 39 degrees centigrade or more and are in obvious discomfort or pain.”

[See Bulletin of the WHO 2003;81:367.]

Prof Glenis Scadding, Consultant Allergist/ Rhinologist , Royal National TNE Hospital, London, said:

“The observations about paracetamol are not new, but this new data is in a significantly large cohort. It would be of interest to know why paracetamol was being given – it may be that the actual causation of asthma is recurrent viral colds, especially in those children with allergic rhinitis.

“The observations that rhinitis predisposes to asthma are not new either. The idea of asthma prevention by adequate rhinitis treatment has been demonstrated with immunotherapy with grass pollen.”

Dr Seif Shaheen Clinical Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology, Asthma UK Senior Research Fellow, and Honorary Consultant in Respiratory Epidemiology, Imperial College London, said:

“Since 2000, several publications have reported this association. We have also shown that asthma prevalence is higher in countries with higher paracetamol sales. The researchers believe regular use of paracetamol decreases levels of the antioxidant glutathione, found in the airways and the nose, which protects the lungs from air pollution and tobacco smoke and the harmful effects of free radicals.”