[Association between paracetamol exposure and asthma: update and practice guidelines]

Abstract

Asthma prevalence has increased over the last few decades, especially in developed countries, and possibly due to different reasons. An association between paracetamol use or exposure at different periods of life, including gestation and childhood, and asthma prevalence has been observed in the last few years. Causality can not be established from observational reports, due to the arguable presence of many confounding factors and biases. Randomised trials are needed to elucidate the nature of this association. The Spanish Paediatric societies subscribing to this paper consider that current evidence is insufficient to discourage the use of paracetamol during gestation or in children with or at risk of asthma.

Keywords: Asma; Asthma; Childhood; Epidemiological studies; Estudios epidemiológicos; Gestación; Infancia; Paracetamol; Pregnancy.