New Study Claims Child ADHD Tied to Mother’s Use of Acetaminophen

UW Medicine has shared the results of a new study released last week,  allegedly linking the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women, and their children having higher rates of ADHD.

   The study was published in a medical journal

February 6th, the results of the study were published in Nature Mental Health. It claims fetal exposure to the drug greatly increases the chances they will be diagnosed with childhood ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

UW Medicine says previous research shows as much as 70 percent of pregnant women use acetaminophen, as it's one of the few pain relief drugs recommended by the USDA for pregnant women.

According to the study, by way of UW Medicine, the study tracked 307 women between 2006 and 2011, who agreed to give blood samples during their pregnancy. The research tracked what are called plasma biomarkers in those samples.

The study claims in mothers who did not use the drug there was a 9 percent ADHD rate later, but for those who did, that rate was 18 percent.

The study also showed girls had a rate of ADHD 6.16 times higher than boys, among the women who took acetaminophen during their pregnancy.

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However, health officials say the study is far from being conclusive. They say a recent Swedish study showed no real correlation, while a study from Norway did find links between the drug and higher ADHD rates. Many health officials say a lot more study needs to be performed before reaching any conclusive findings.