Childhood Asthma Linked to Tylenol Side Effects

According to a new research, the use of Tylenol by children for relief of pain or fever could increase their risk of developing asthma as they get older.

The research is published in the September 20 issue of The Lancet, finding that infants treated with Tylenol (acetaminophen) during the first year of life are 46% more likely to develop asthma by the time they are 6 or 7 years old. The risk of developing severe asthma was found to increase by about 22% to 38%.

The study involved the evaluation of data for 205,487 children from 31 countries who took part in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

Although the data does not establish definitively that Tylenol causes childhood asthma, researchers indicate that it may explain why asthma has become more common in recent years.

Asthma is a chronic condition where the airways could occasionally constrict and become inflamed, causing breathing problems. This can cause symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the prevalence of asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s, currently impacting about 1 in 4 Americans.

Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol, which is widely marketed for use among infants and children for treatment of high fevers and minor aches and pains. For children it is administered as a liquid.

Researchers have pointed out that the study does not indicate that the use of Tylenol for children should be changed, but that acetaminophen should not be used for routine fevers. The findings support the guidelines of the World Health Organization, which recommends that acetaminophen should only be used for high fevers.