Acetaminophen in Infancy May Be Risk Factor for Asthma

By John Gever, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: September 18, 2008 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor  University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Sept. 18 -- Babies given acetaminophen for fever were moderately more likely to develop asthma and other allergic conditions in later years, said researchers here. Six- and seven-year-olds were 1.46 times as likely to have asthma (95% CI 1.36 to 1.56) if they received acetaminophen before age one, after adjusting for other risk factors, reported Richard Beasley, M.B.Ch.B., of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, and colleagues in the Sept. 20 issue of The Lancet.