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Alemany S, Avella-García C, Liew Z, García-Esteban R, Inoue K, Cadman T, López-Vicente M, González L, Riaño Galán I, Andiarena A, Casas M, Margetaki K, Strandberg-Larsen K, Lawlor DA, El Marroun H, Tiemeier H, Iñiguez C, Tardón A, Santa-Marina L, Júlvez J, Porta D, Chatzi L, Sunyer J. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to acetaminophen in relation to autism spectrum and attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood: Meta-analysis in six European population-based cohorts. Eur J Epidemiol 2021; 36:993-1004. [PMID: 34046850 PMCID: PMC8542535 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-021-00754-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The potential etiological role of early acetaminophen exposure on Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is inconclusive. We aimed to study this association in a collaborative study of six European population-based birth/child cohorts. A total of 73,881 mother-child pairs were included in the study. Prenatal and postnatal (up to 18 months) acetaminophen exposure was assessed through maternal questionnaires or interviews. ASC and ADHD symptoms were assessed at 4-12 years of age using validated instruments. Children were classified as having borderline/clinical symptoms using recommended cutoffs for each instrument. Hospital diagnoses were also available in one cohort. Analyses were adjusted for child and maternal characteristics along with indications for acetaminophen use. Adjusted cohort-specific effect estimates were combined using random-effects meta-analysis. The proportion of children having borderline/clinical symptoms ranged between 0.9 and 12.9% for ASC and between 1.2 and 12.2% for ADHD. Results indicated that children prenatally exposed to acetaminophen were 19% and 21% more likely to subsequently have borderline or clinical ASC (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.33) and ADHD symptoms (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.36) compared to non-exposed children. Boys and girls showed higher odds for ASC and ADHD symptoms after prenatal exposure, though these associations were slightly stronger among boys. Postnatal exposure to acetaminophen was not associated with ASC or ADHD symptoms. These results replicate previous work and support providing clear information to pregnant women and their partners about potential long-term risks of acetaminophen use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Alemany
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Claudia Avella-García
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Sagrat Cor, Martorell, Spain
| | - Zeyan Liew
- Departmen of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Raquel García-Esteban
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Kosuke Inoue
- Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, USA
| | - Tim Cadman
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) and School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Medical School, Population Health Science, Bristol, UK
| | - Mònica López-Vicente
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Llúcia González
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Isolina Riaño Galán
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Paediatrics, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, University of Oviedo and ISPA, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ainara Andiarena
- Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country, Gipuzkoa, Spain
- Health Research Institute, Biodonostia, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Maribel Casas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Katrine Strandberg-Larsen
- Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Deborah A Lawlor
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) and School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Medical School, Population Health Science, Bristol, UK
- Bristol NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, UK
| | - Hanan El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Carmen Iñiguez
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Statistics and Computational Research, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Adonina Tardón
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA), IUOPA, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Loreto Santa-Marina
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute, Biodonostia, San Sebastian, Spain
- Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Basque Government, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Jordi Júlvez
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Reus, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Daniela Porta
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
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