ArticlePediatrics2017
Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Risk of ADHD.
Article in Pediatrics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 83 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
83 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 209 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Pooled it
- British Society for Rheumatology guideline on prescribing drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding: comorbidity medications used in rheumatology practice.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2023Guideline
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low birth weight infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Prophylactic cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor drugs for the prevention of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants: a network meta-analysis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Long-Term Safety of Prenatal and Neonatal Exposure to Paracetamol: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Fever during pregnancy as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular autism · 2021Pooled it
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low birth weight infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Long-term safety of prenatal and neonatal exposure to paracetamol: a protocol for a systematic review.BMJ paediatrics open · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm or low birth weight infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Gestational Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Toxicity Induces Behavioral and Structural Brain Defects in Rats.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- The Prenatal Dilemma: Fever vs Acetaminophen? Navigating a Difficult Choice.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Article
- [Pain management during pregnancy : A balancing act between benefits and risks].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Review
- Comorbidity of asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood: causal, shared early-life risk factors, or shared genetic liability?International journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Paracetamol in Pregnancy: Reassurance Amidst Uncertainty.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Article
- Prescription use of acetaminophen among pregnant women in Denmark from 2000 to 2023: A drug utilization study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Paracetamol in pregnancy: Navigating clinical uncertainty and avoiding the communication pitfalls of the "measles, mumps, and rubella" - autism controversy: A narrative review.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Connection: A New Horizon in Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Review
- Paternal and maternal exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and birth outcomes: a multi-country cohort study.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Article
- Maternal immune-mediated conditions and ADHD risk in offspring.BMC medicine · 2025Article
23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate the association between maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and of paternal use before pregnancy with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring while adjusting for familial risk for ADHD and indications of acetaminophen use.
methodsDiagnoses were obtained from the Norwegian Patient Registry for 112 973 offspring from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, including 2246 with ADHD. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for an ADHD diagnosis by using Cox proportional hazard models.
resultsAfter adjusting for maternal use of acetaminophen before pregnancy, familial risk for ADHD, and indications of acetaminophen use, we observed a modest association between any prenatal maternal use of acetaminophen in 1 (HR = 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-1.19), 2 (HR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.07-1.38), and 3 trimesters (HR = 1.27; 95% CI 0.99-1.63). The HR for more than 29 days of maternal acetaminophen use was 2.20 (95% CI 1.50-3.24). Use for <8 days was negatively associated with ADHD (HR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.81-1.00). Acetaminophen use for fever and infections for 22 to 28 days was associated with ADHD (HR = 6.15; 95% CI 1.71-22.05). Paternal and maternal use of acetaminophen were similarly associated with ADHD.
conclusionsShort-term maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy was negatively associated with ADHD in offspring. Long-term maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy was substantially associated with ADHD even after adjusting for indications of use, familial risk of ADHD, and other potential confounders.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.