Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29688261›Full record

SynthesisAmerican journal of epidemiology2018

Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Risk for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression Analysis of Cohort Studies.

Reem Masarwa, Hagai Levine, Einat Gorelik, Shimon Reif, Amichai Perlman, Ilan Matok

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in American journal of epidemiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06064825 (Long Term Follow-up of the TREOCAPA), which is not on this map. Cited by 53 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
53citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

NCT06064825 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Long Term Follow-up of the TREOCAPA (Prophylactic TREatment Of the duCtus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants by Acetaminophen) Study (TREOCAPA-LT)

TypeobservationalSponsorInstitut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, FranceRan2023 to 2027Enrolled500ConditionsPatency of the Ductus Arteriosus Acetaminophen Extreme PrematurityArms2 year follow-up of neurodevelopment using a parental questionnaire
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

53 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Beyond the Headlines: Examining the Evidence Around Acetaminophen and Autism Risk.The journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Exposure to Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) during Pregnancy and Childhood Cancer: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
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  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Reem MasarwaDivision of Clinical Pharmacy, Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Hagai LevineBraun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel.
Einat GorelikDivision of Clinical Pharmacy, Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Shimon ReifDepartment of Pediatrics, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Amichai PerlmanDivision of Clinical Pharmacy, Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ilan MatokDivision of Clinical Pharmacy, Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acetaminophen is the analgesic and antipyretic most commonly used during pregnancy. Evidence of neurodisruptive properties is accumulating. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring of women exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases for relevant studies up to January 2017. Data were independently extracted and assessed by 2 researchers. Seven eligible retrospective cohorts included 132,738 mother-child pairs, with follow-up periods ranging from 3 to 11 years. The pooled risk ratio for ADHD was 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21, 1.47; I2 = 72%); for ASD, the risk ratio was 1.19 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.25; I2 = 14%), and for hyperactivity symptoms, it was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.43; I2 = 93%). In meta-regression analysis, the association between exposure and ADHD increased with the child's age upon follow-up (β = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.07) and with the mean duration of exposure (β = 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.01). The available data is of observational nature only. Studies differed widely in exposure and outcome assessment. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for ADHD, ASD, and hyperactivity symptoms. These findings are concerning; however, results should be interpreted with caution given that the available evidence consists of observational studies and is susceptible to several potential sources of bias.

Indexed as

AcetaminophenAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityAutism Spectrum DisorderFemaleHumansMalePregnancyPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsRegression AnalysisRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsAcetaminophen

Identifiers

PMID29688261

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.