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According to the latest article published in the Mail Online, babies that are administered paracetamol have a one third chance of developing asthma. The study also revealed a connection between maternal use of painkiller used during pregnancy and childhood asthma. Pregnant women are recommended to avoid taking medication but paracetamol is ok to use due to its effectiveness as a painkiller and little evidence that the medicine can cause harm to the baby, reports NHS News

However, a recent research has shown a possible connection between asthma and paracetamol. This study has been geared to investigate this connection more deeply. The researchers discovered that paracetamol caused childhood asthma in cases where the pregnant woman took the medicine or was given to babies less than 6-months old. According to the study, that when the infant was exposed to paracetamol, the risk of asthma increased by 29% and exposure during pregnancy caused 13% increase. The study also revealed that the reason for medication did not impact the probability of asthma. This means that the likelihood of the respiratory disorder is due to paracetamol and not the condition that is being treated through the medication, Deccan Chronical reported.

First author of the new study, Dr. Maria Magnus, notes that "uncovering potential adverse effects is of public health importance, as paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller among pregnant women and infants." For the purpose of the study, Dr. Magnus and the team of researchers studied the data from Norwegian mothers and Child Cohort Study. The study sample size covered 114,500 babies and their mothers. A comprehensive research was carried out by the researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health at the University of Oslo and the University of Bristol. The study was published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Epidemiology, as reported by Medical News Today