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Paracetamol: Current warning against taking it during pregnancy;
Paracetamol, pregnancy, ADHD, developmental disorders

Hamburg (October 2014). The over-the-counter drug paracetamol is considered the first-line treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy, whereas medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen are contraindicated, particularly in the last trimester. Recent epidemiological studies now suggest that taking paracetamol during pregnancy increases the risk of children developing asthma later in life. This risk of asthma can also be increased by administering paracetamol in early childhood.
To investigate the underlying mechanisms of these observations, the Hamburg Research and Science Foundation, within the framework of the research group “Feto-Maternal Immune Cross Talk: Short- and Long-term Consequences for Mother and Child” based at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, supported a project in which pregnant women were surveyed about whether they had taken paracetamol during pregnancy. The results showed that up to 20% of pregnant women take paracetamol. To investigate the effect of paracetamol on the maternal organism and the unborn child, Professor Gisa Tiegs, Institute of Experimental Immunology and Hepatology, and Professor Petra Arck, Clinic for Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, together with their teams, developed an experimental mouse model. Using this mouse model, the scientists were able to demonstrate that paracetamol influences the development of fetal liver stem cells. These cells are crucial for the development of the immune system, and disruption of their development can negatively impact the immune response later in life. Simultaneously, the teams observed that an increased severity of asthma-like symptoms was detectable in adult mice after administration of paracetamol during pregnancy.
This project currently focuses on linking experimental laboratory results with clinical findings and aims to investigate changes in the immune system in mothers who took paracetamol during pregnancy and their newborns. Through their molecular-immunological approach, the researchers aim to put the results of epidemiological studies to the test in order to potentially refine guidelines for the administration of paracetamol during pregnancy.

Prof. Dr. Gisa Tiegs Prof. Dr. Petra Ark

literature

1: Tiegs G, Karimi K, Brune K, Arck P. New problems arising from old drugs:
second-generation effects of acetaminophen. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2014
Sep;7(5):655-62. doi: 10.1586/17512433.2014.944502. Epub 2014 Jul 30. PubMed
PMID: 25075430.

2: Thiele K, Kessler T, Arck P, Erhardt A, Tiegs G. Acetaminophen and pregnancy:
short- and long-term consequences for mother and child. J Reprod Immunol. 2013
Mar;97(1):128-39. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2012.10.014. Review. PubMed PMID: 23432879.