Acetaminophen linked to risk of respiratory ills

	Tweet

Regular use of the painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, is associated with higher rates of Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and reduced lung function, according to a new study.

Animal experiments have suggested that acetaminophen might lower antioxidant activity in the lungs, explain Dr. Tricia M. McKeever, at City Hospital in Nottingham, UK, and her associates in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Whether this experimental evidence translates to an effect on human respiratory disease has been unclear. The team therefore evaluated data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted between 1988 and 1994 in the US.

Among the 13,492 subjects in the study, 6.9 percent had asthma, 11.8 percent had COPD and 2.8 percent had both respiratory illnesses.

Overall, 4.3 percent of the participants reported that they used acetaminophen daily. Another 8.2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, reported daily use of aspirin and ibuprofen.

The use of acetaminophen was associated with an increased risk of both Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the risk increased in step with the dose.

Lung function was also lower among those using acetaminophen daily.

In contrast, taking aspirin or ibuprofen was not associated with respiratory illness.

This does not necessarily mean that acetaminophen should be avoided, however. “The potential risk of acetaminophen must ultimately be estimated through a balance consideration of the positive benefit and the potential harm if these medications were substituted with others,” McKeever’s group advises.

SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, May 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
Drug allergy discovery   Kids on cow farms may have fewer allergies   Researchers identify new regulator in allergic diseases   Low serum adiponectin levels predict future risk for asthma in women   Test to improve peanut allergy diagnosis   Anti-IgE Drug Speeds Up Allergy Therapy   Moms Mistakenly Claim Own Food Allergies   Food Allergy Common in Joint Disorder   Molecule That Offers Hope For Future Allergy Treatments Discovered   Adding Proton Pump Inhibitor to Treat Poorly Controlled Asthma in Children Does Not Improve Symptoms   Accelerated infant growth increases risk of future asthma symptoms in children   Getting a Cat Ups Allergy Risk in Adults

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]