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possible cause of autism?

Iain

I read with interest a new article on the connection with some painkillers used by pregnant women and having neurodiverse children:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/prenatal-painkiller-use-associated-with-autism-adhd-in-children-403513

The study links prenatal paracetamol (or Tylenol for US readers) use to increased autism and ADHD risk.

It does emphasise that this is a very early stage connection and may only be contributory so it is wise not to jump to conclusions.

The actual study is here for those of you with an analytical interest:
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0

The methodology seems sound and it is designed for peer review which would indicate it is a solid piece of research.

An interesting thought experiment arising from this could be:

If you knew taking this painkiller could increase the risk of your child being neurodiverse, would you still take it (assuming no other health risks were present to mother or child)?

Parents

  • Maybe the mothers who took paracetamol had undiagnosed autism and were more likely to take paracetamol to deal with pain than non-autistic mothers, so genetically they may have been more likely to give birth to an autistic baby? 

    Whether the issue is conflict of interest, politics, less than rigorous science or something else, there is not evidence to suggest paracetamol causes autism. 

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  • Maybe the mothers who took paracetamol had undiagnosed autism and were more likely to take paracetamol to deal with pain than non-autistic mothers, so genetically they may have been more likely to give birth to an autistic baby? 

    Whether the issue is conflict of interest, politics, less than rigorous science or something else, there is not evidence to suggest paracetamol causes autism. 

Children
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