Is Acetaminophen in Infancy a Risk Factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder?

According to two researchers, the answer may be "yes," and the contribution to risk of autism spectrum disorder among males from this factor alone may be significant. Specifically, researchers Seth Bittker and Kathleen Bell found that acetaminophen exposure before age two may contribute to as much as 40% of the risk of autism spectrum disorder among males.

The researchers conducted a survey of parents who have children with autism spectrum disorder and parents who have children without autism spectrum disorder. Two questions on the survey were on the number of doses of acetaminophen and ibuprofen that their child received before age two.

Based on the differences in survey answers between the parents of children with autism and the parents of children without autism, the researchers found that greater acetaminophen exposure among males is associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder.

The researchers also found that there was not a similar association between ibuprofen exposure and autism spectrum disorder among males, which suggests that the association with acetaminophen is not due to analgesic use in general. In addition, the researchers found that parental uncertainty on the number of doses of acetaminophen provided before age two is associated with autism spectrum disorder as well.

This research is part of a growing body of research that suggests that acetaminophen exposure may be a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder. Additional research on this topic is needed.

Reference:

Bittker SS, Bell K.R. Postnatal Acetaminophen and Potential Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Males. Behavioral Sciences. 10(1); 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10010026

Seth Bittker
17 Edmond Street
Darien, Connecticut 06820

seth.bittker@ronininstitute.org

More information on Seth Bittker is available here: http://ronininstitute.org/research-scholars/seth-bittker/

This release was published on openPR.