This has nothing to do with anesthesia just wanted to share with our readers.
By Denise Baez
Prenatal acetaminophen exposure measured in meconium was associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
“In this birth cohort study of 345 children, acetaminophen exposure detected in meconium was associated with increased odds of ADHD and altered brain connectivity between the frontoparietal and default mode networks to sensorimotor cortices,” wrote Brennan H. Baker, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, and colleagues. “Altered frontoparietal-sensorimotor cortex connectivity mediated an association of prenatal acetaminophen exposure with hyperactivity.”
The findings strongly suggest that the safety of using acetaminophen during pregnancy should be re-evaluated.
Pregnant women were enrolled at the Centre Hospitalier Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, from September 25, 2007, to September 10, 2009. Meconium samples were collected at delivery.
Physician diagnosis of ADHD was determined at follow-up when children were aged 6 to 7 years or from medical records. When children were aged 9 to 11 years, resting-state brain connectivity was assessed with MRI.
Acetaminophen was detected in 199 (57.7%) meconium samples, and ADHD was diagnosed in 33 (9.6%) children.
Compared with no acetaminophen, detection of acetaminophen in meconium was associated with increased odds of ADHD (odds ratio [OR] = 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-4.21). A dose-response association was also detected — each doubling of exposure increased the odds of ADHD by 10% (OR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02-1.19).
Children with acetaminophen detected in meconium showed increased negative connectivity between frontoparietal and default mode network nodes to clusters in the sensorimotor cortices, which mediated an indirect effect on increased child hyperactivity.
“Together with the multitude of other cohort studies showing adverse neurodevelopment associated with prenatal acetaminophen exposure, this work suggests caution should be used in administering acetaminophen during pregnancy,” the authors wrote. “Research into alternative pain management strategies for pregnant women could be beneficial.”