Paracetamol in pregnancy is related to language delay in children

The pregnancy It is a very delicate stage in which all the details must be taken into account. It is not for less, within the belly of the mother a life is being gestated and there are many factors that can influence the development of it. From the environment in which the woman lives in her day to day, to what she eats. Therefore, it is not surprising that you have to take into account what medications are consumed since they represent an article with several side effects.

Now, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, located in New York, mothers are alerted to the possible effects that the use of paracetamol can have on pregnancy. Among the side effects of the abuse of this drug has been found that its use is related to an increased risk of presence of language delay in children.


Higher consumption, greater danger

In this study, a total of 754 women who were between weeks 8 and 13 of gestation. They had to answer about their consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy and undergo urinalysis to detect the presence of this drug in their body. Later, the children already born of these were subjected to tests to determine the language proficiency.

The results of these last tests determined on the one hand that the use of paracetamol was something usual in the 59% of the mothers. In the case of the children it was found that 10% of them manifested symptoms of language delay. This percentage increased in the case in which the mothers had ingested this medicine more than six times.


With these data, the researchers point out that it follows the line of other studies that have also determined how paracetamol influences the I.Q of babies and that should serve as a start to draw more conclusions in this regard. The development of a child is very important and it is worth taking into account by mothers during pregnancy to avoid future problems for their children.

Paracetamol risks

As the researchers indicate, this is not the first time that a study indicates the risks of paracetamol for pregnant women. Another work by one of the Health Institute of Barcelona revealed that 43% of these children evaluated at 1 year of age and 41% of children evaluated at 5 years had been exposed to paracetamol at some point during the first 32 weeks of gestation.

At the time of being re-evaluated at the age of five, the study found that children who had received doses of this medication were approximately 40% more likely to develop symptoms of hyperactivity or impulsivity than those whose mothers did not use the medication. The boys and girls Persistently exposed showed a greater lack of attention and an increase in impulsiveness and visual processing speed.


In the case of men persistently exposed to paracetamol in pregnancy, the chances of developing symptoms of the Autistic spectrum. The authors explain that although they measure symptoms and not diagnoses, an increase in the number of evidences of a child's condition can affect them, even if they are not serious enough to justify said illness.

A result that Dr. Claudia Avella-García explains: "The male brain seems to be more vulnerable to harmful influences during the first stages of life. Our results show a relationship with symptoms of the autistic spectrum only in males, suggesting that this association could be explained by endocrine androgenic disruption, to which male brains could be more sensitive. "

Damián Montero

Video: Analgesics (Acetaminophen) Use Leads to Language Delays in Children


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