Jumping to Conclusions

Preliminary results of a study apparently link use of paracetamol (Panadol, Paracare et al) with an increased chance of developing asthma in later life. 

The study results, to be published in The Lancet British medical journal, found that the risk of developing asthma five years after an infant is given paracetamol is increased by about 20 to 25 per cent.

Now, before all you moms stop giving your little ones paracetamol for fevers and pain, let me just say the old mantra of statistics - correlation does not equal causation. Just because the two are linked, does not mean that paracetamol use causes asthma.

I have not had a chance to look at the study (it has not yet been published), but I suspect that paracetamol use is just a surrogate for recurrent infections. We use paracetamol for lowering fever, therefore the more paracetamol a child has used, the more often s/he has had an infection. It is much more likely, to my mind, that it is the high rate of infection that increases the child’s chances of developing asthma, not the paracetamol use.

So let’s not jump to conclusions. When I get a chance to see the actual study, I will post my findings. Until then – moms – continue to use paracetamol without fear.

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