Is intrauterine exposure to acetaminophen associated with emotional and hyperactivity problems during childhood? Findings from the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort.

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Is intrauterine exposure to acetaminophen associated with emotional and hyperactivity problems during childhood? Findings from the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort.

BMC Psychiatry. 2018 11 20;18(1):368

Authors: Tovo-Rodrigues L, Schneider BC, Martins-Silva T, Del-Ponte B, Loret de Mola C, Schuler-Faccini L, Vianna FSL, Munhoz TN, Entiauspe L, Silveira MF, Santos IS, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, Rohde LA, Bertoldi AD

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Longitudinal studies have consistently reported that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen can to lead to an increased risk of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder during childhood. This study aimed to investigate the association between intrauterine exposure to acetaminophen and the presence of emotional and behavioral problems at the ages of 6 and 11 years in a low-middle income country.
METHODS: We performed a prospective longitudinal population-based study using data from the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort. From the 4231 initial cohort participants, 3722 and 3566 children were assessed at 6 and 11 years of age, respectively. The outcomes were assessed using the parent version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The cut-off points established for the Brazilian population were used to categorize the outcomes. Crude and adjusted odds ratio were obtained through logistic regression.
RESULTS: Acetaminophen was used by 27.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.1-28.9) of the mothers at least once during pregnancy. The prevalence of emotional problems at 6 and 11 years was 13.6 and 19.9%, respectively. For hyperactivity problems, prevalence was 13.9 and 16.1%, respectively. Intrauterine exposure to acetaminophen increased the odds of having emotional (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.07-2.02) and hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.06-1.92) problems in 6-year-old boys. At the age of 11, a small decrease in the effect was observed for both outcomes after adjustment: OR = 1.31 (95% CI: 0.99-1.73) for emotional problems and OR = 1.25 (95% CI: 0.95-1.65) for hyperactivity/inattention in boys. No association for any phenotypes at both ages was observed for girls.
CONCLUSION: The effect of intrauterine exposure to acetaminophen in emotional and hyperactivity symptoms was dependent on sex in a Brazilian cohort. While it seemed to be important for boys, mainly at 6 years of age, for girls, no association was observed.

PMID: 30458756 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30458756?dopt=Abstract