Connection between asthma and paracetamol

I'm not sure how much coverage this is getting across the globe but please see attached in the BBC:

BBC news article

There is a link between the rise in asthma and the amount of paracetamol given to babies and young children. This very scarily makes a lot of sense - every home where I live will have Calpol (or something similar) to fall back on to their baby.

We are encouraged to dose our kids up at a slight sniffle - I''ll leave you guys to review the web site for the encouragement to use this stuff:

Calpol website




I wonder why this was not picked up in tests as child drugs are supposed to be tested fully.

reply to post by templar knight


note for U.S. readers: paracetamol = acetaminophen = Tylenol (and other brand names)

It's important to note that they're still recommending it for use in case of high fevers, just not for every sniffle or slight warmth.

I agree it's scary that this connection is only emerging now; my guess would be that it's twofold:

1) drugs are not tested on the assumption that they will be given to children at the drop of a hat (and my experience, at least here in the U.S., is that many people think nothing of giving their kids medicine)

2) there may be an increased use in acetaminophen use for children since they finally acknowledged that giving aspirin to children who have the flu can cause Reyes' syndrome.

EDIT: Here's the story from the NIH. They quote a doctor who addresses another possibility: that it may just be that babies that get sick a lot in their first year are both more likely to be given acetaminophen and more likely to get asthma later:

Children who are taking acetaminophen may be getting sick more often and getting more respiratory viruses, and they are getting asthma for other reasons," Chupp said. "It's not actually due to the acetaminophen, but acetaminophen happens to be in the picture, because they get sick all the time.

[edit on 9/20/08 by americandingbat]

Saw this in the Norwegian newspapers yesterday and today.

Not good, not good at all. I myself have a little one, and I don't give her anything when sick unless it's REALLY bad. But then, I usually take her to the doc's office.

I don't like pills, of any sort. I have a feeling they're put in place not to help, but to harm. (Maybe I'm just too paranoid? :p )

Peace,
FK

If you look at my posting history, you'll find that I'm kind of biased in the matter -- I'm studying biochemistry and believe firmly that medicine can be beneficial

But I also believe firmly that there is nearly always a tradeoff. Pharma companies and mass media have encouraged us to believe that when a medicine is labeled "safe" that means there are no detrimental effects and it can be used to treat any slight physical discomfort.

The fact that the Tylenol website has a section on how to keep your child comfortable when they have a cold which consists of little else than the recommendation to always have Tylenol on hand is an example.

I think you're doing the right thing by letting your child's own immune system cope with most of the minor ailments of childhood. The human race has been around a long time -- we've developed pretty good systems. Medicine is great for when those systems truly become overwhelmed -- and as you said, then it's time to take the kid to a doctor