Studies have shown that it is safe to take the antipyretic and analgesic Tylenol during pregnancy and has nothing to do with the increased risk of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
According to Reuters and others, a research team led by Professor Asma Khalil of the University of London, City St. George published a paper containing the findings in the medical journal “Lancet Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health.” The paper is the latest research that refutes the U.S. government’s claims. In September last year, President Donald Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, saying that acetaminophen, the main compound of Tylenol, increases the risk of giving birth to autistic children.
Professor Khalil said he focused on collecting reliable evidence to verify President Trump’s claims, adding, “Tylenol’s use during pregnancy is safe.” He added, “If taken as recommended, the best evidence currently available does not support a causal relationship with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disability.”
The research team selected and analyzed 43 studies that could verify the safety of Tylenol by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data. As a result, it was revealed that there was no significant association between drug use and disease. The results were the same even when all selected research data as well as individual studies were integrated and analyzed.
Professor Khalil pointed out that many of the existing studies that showed the possibility of Tylenol and autism, including those cited by the Trump administration, are vulnerable to bias or confusion variables. Accordingly, the research team said it made efforts to correct these factors.
As acetaminophen was regarded as almost the only drug that could be taken with confidence for the fever and pain of pregnant women, President Trump’s claim about the connection to the birth of autistic children caused a great controversy in the health and medical community.
At that time, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) countered that President Trump’s claims were unfounded, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also admitted that there was no causal relationship between taking acetaminophen and giving birth to autistic babies. Medical groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine also expressed their opinion that taking acetaminophen by pregnant women is safe.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
