A small study has revealed that mothers who use the painkiller paracetamol during pregnancy increase their child’s ADHD risk. This has added weight to the debated connection between the use of painkillers and brain development of fetuses. Up until now, previous studies on this association have provided mixed results. However, this new study on painkillers may shed new light on the subject.
Previous Research on Painkillers and ADHD Is Conflicting
A study involving more than 4,700 mothers and their children was conducted in 2019. The researchers wanted to examine the apparent link between painkillers and ADHD. They found that there was a 20% greater risk of developing ADHD in children whose mothers had used paracetamol while pregnant. However, in 2024, an analysis of almost 2.5 million children revealed no link when they compared siblings who had or had not been exposed to paracetamol in the womb.
The Problem With Studies Based on Self-Reports
The problem is that many of these studies were based on self-reported use. This is an issue because many people might not clearly recall if they actually took paracetamol while they were pregnant or not. An example of this can be observed in the 2019 study, where only 7% of those who participated reported using the painkiller when they were pregnant. This is significantly lower than the 50% reported in other comparable studies. According to an environmental molecular epidemiologist from the University of Washington in Seattle, Brennan Baker, “A lot of people take paracetamol without knowing it. It could be the active ingredient in some cold medication you’re using, and you don’t necessarily know.”
Using More Accurate Methods
Baker’s team thus opted to use a far more accurate metric system. They collected blood samples from 307 African American women from Tennessee who were in their second trimester. They then searched for markers of the painkiller in the blood samples. The team then followed up with these women when their children were somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10. Currently, around 8% of children aged 5 to 11 are said to have ADHD in the United States.
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Results of the Study
The study found that the offspring of those participants who had paracetamol markers in their blood were three times more likely to develop ADHD when compared to those whose mothers had no markers. This was even after adjusting for various factors, such as genetic mental health conditions, socioeconomic status, and BMI. These results suggest that if mothers use paracetamol while pregnant, the risk of their children developing ADHD increases.
Other Potential Factors
It is possible, however, that the real factor increasing the risk of developing ADHD is what prompted individuals to start taking paracetamol in the first place. They have yet to take into account the ailments that caused the mothers to initially take the painkillers, such as fevers, infections, pains, and headaches. This is important since all of the ailments mentioned are known risk factors for developmental issues in children. However, Dr. Baker and his team, however, are convinced that the painkiller itself is responsible for these adverse effects.
Subsequent Tissue Analysis Results
A subsequent investigation involved taking tissue samples from the placentas of the study’s participants. These samples revealed that the mothers who used paracetamol had unique changes in their metabolic and immune systems compared to those who hadn’t. These changes are consistent with those observed in research examining the effects of paracetamol on pregnant animals that don’t have any underlying health issues. According to Dr. Baker, “The fact we see the immune upregulation in animal models as well, I think, really strengthens the case for causality. There is a lot of prior work showing that elevated immune activation during pregnancy is linked with adverse neurodevelopment.”
Inconclusive Evidence
While these results may be intriguing, they remain inconclusive. One problem with the study is that it was based on a rather small percentage of the population. All of the women who participated in the study were of the same race and from the same place. This doesn’t provide much insight into how the general population measures up regarding paracetamol and childhood development. Another issue is that the paracetamol markers in the blood only measured one moment in time. These markers are only measurable for around three days, so more frequent users were most likely captured by the study.
The Bottom Line
This study raises potential concerns as paracetamol is currently regarded as the first choice for fever and pain in pregnant women. But, if there is a chance that the painkiller could increase your child’s risk of developing ADHD, would you risk it? Unfortunately, we won’t have any more conclusive results until studies are conducted using a broader spectrum of the general population. More research will also reveal how much of this risk increase results from the painkiller itself or the ailments that necessitated their use.
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