According to a new study, children who are administered Acetaminophen before the age of one are more likely to present with Asthma later in life. Researchers also found a link between rhino conjunctivitis and eczema and acetaminophen.

The study results were based on information collected from more than 200,000 children in 31 countries. The children were all given acetaminophen within the first year of life with nearly 50% later presenting with asthma by the ages of 6 or 7.

The amount of acetaminophen given was also linked to an increase in the occurrence of asthma. In children who were given higher than normal doses of the drug during the year prior to the study, the risk of contracting asthma raised 3 times. Children given medium doses were more than 60% more likely to contract asthma.
While the link is clearly evident, there has been no declaration of acetaminophen as a causative factor for asthma and thus the usage and a Fever reducer should not be changed.

While this study has not been the first to link acetaminophen with asthma, some researchers believe the link is not in the right place. The use of higher amounts of acetaminophen may be a sign of increased sickness in childhood. This sickness, including respiratory viruses may be to cause for the asthma and not the acetaminophen.

In a separate study of nearly 6500 patients who were followed for 9 years, the presence of rhinitis, whether of the allergic or non-allergic variety, was also a clear indication of increased risk for asthma later in life. The patients presenting with non-allergic rhinitis contracted asthma in 3% of the cases, those with allergic rhinitis contracted asthma in 4% of the cases.

Yet another study, this time featuring 850 infants with a 22 year follow up showed 181 patients contracting asthma who presented with wheezing between the ages of 6 and 7. Persistent wheezing increased the chances of contracting asthma 14 times.

These studies all face the problem of increasing cases of asthma head on. Researchers will continue to study the phenomenon of acetaminophen and asthma, rhinitis and asthma and wheezing and asthma until a final link is established.