Paracetamol risk of autism? Image Credit Source: Getty Images
Paracetamol and autism: The number of children suffering from autism is increasing continuously in America. Center for Disease Control (CDC) According to the data of, one of every 31 years of children in the US has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This figure is higher than in previous years. Talking about India Indian autism center According to, it happens to any one of the 68 children here. If you look at the data, then there is more autism case in America than in India.
President Donald Trump has also expressed concern over the increasing cases of autism in the US. Trump has considered Paracetamol’s medicine to be a reason for increasing the case of this disease.
Now the question is why the cases of this disorder in America are increasing and is it really related to paracetamol? To know the answers to these questions, we have talked to the doctors of Delhi AIIMS and Ihbas.
Dr. Omprakash, Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at the Institute of Human behavior and related Sciences (IHBAS) of Delhi Government It is said that the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a situation in which the child’s social behavior, language and ability to interact is affected. Children with this problem feel difficult to talk to others in a normal way or share their feelings.
Why autism happens is not completely clear, but doctors believe that there can be many reasons for this. This may include genetic changes, earlier cases in the family, infection during pregnancy, pollution, lack of nutrition and sometimes the effect of drugs.
Studies of National Library of Medicine It has been found in families where there are already cases of autism, its risk increases. Apart from this, children born to older parents may also have a little more likely to have autism. This means that this problem develops not just for one reason, but with many reasons. It is a matter of concern that there is no cure for autism, it can only be controlled.
Why are there more autism cases in America?
Dr. Om Prakash says that In the US, autism cases are more reported than India. One of the major reasons for this is the better health care system and widespread screening. There, children go through developmental checkup very quickly and doctors immediately check if you see a little different symptoms. At the same time, in India, the symptoms are often not identified for a long time and the diagnosis is hardly possible at a young age.
The second important aspect is lifestyle and population pattern. People usually plan late children in Western countries. The probability of genetic mutation increases when pregnant at an older age, which can affect the risk of autism.
The third reason is the understanding of the people and the view of the society. In the US, autism is not seen as a mental illness or stigma, but rather by accepting it as a health issue, treatment and therapy is started in time. Instead of this in India, people are less aware and due to fear or hesitation in the society, many families hide this problem. Therefore, the number of cases in America is more visible, while the actual numbers in India often do not come forward. These may be some possible reasons due to which cases are more reported in America and less reports in India.
Does eating paracetamol cause autism?
US President Trump has described paracetamol as one of the reasons for autism, although his claim has been rejected by the US health organization to the World Health Organization.
In this case Dr. Shefali Gulati, Head of Pediatric Department in AIIMS New Delhi She says that till date there is no scientific evidence or research that indicates that on the advice of a doctor, there can be autism by taking paracetamol by pregnant women.
According to Dr. Gulati, autism is not a common disease. It does not happen for any one reason. It can also occur from genetic factors (related to genes) or epigenetic reasons (a process by which the information contained in the gene is converted into any function of the body).
Dr. Gulati says that in many research, autism has been found to be related to paracetamol, but none of them have been able to install direct reasons for this. Some time ago research was also done at the Carolinska Institute in Stockholm, which found that the use of paracetamol during pregnancy is not associated with autism, ADHD (Attention Defisit Hypercarial Disorder) or the risk of intellectual disability. In such a situation, it cannot be said that paracetamol causes autism. There is a need to do more research in this matter.
So is eating paracetamol in pregnancy completely safe?
Dr. Shefali says that any medicine in pregnancy should always be eaten on a doctor’s advice, but it is seen that women eat drugs like paracetamol or crocin in mild fever or body pain. But it should be avoided. Any medicine can harm food by itself.