Paracetamol link to asthma in young

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Researchers who analysed data on more than 200,000 children found strong links between paracetamol use and the development of asthma.

Taking paracetamol once a month more than tripled the chances of six and seven-year-olds suffering attacks.

The drug was also associated with an increased risk of hayfever - and eczema.

Scientists believe paracetamol may cause changes in the body that leave a child more vulnerable to inflammation and allergies.

Although the study authors cannot be sure that taking paracetamol is causing the disease, rather than merely being associated with it, there are good reasons to believe this is the case.

The research highlights a dose-dependent response with more exposure to the drug resulting in more asthma attacks.

Exposure also tended to precede the response, pointing to a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study, part of a worldwide investigation called the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), spanned 73 centres in 31 countries.

It found that giving children paracetamol in the first year of life increased the risk of later asthma symptoms in six and seven-year-olds by 46%.