Overview
- An umbrella review led by University of Liverpool researchers evaluated nine systematic reviews encompassing 40 observational studies on prenatal paracetamol exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- The team rated confidence in the existing reviews as low to critically low, noting methodological weaknesses and heavy overlap of primary studies.
- Studies that adjusted for shared familial factors in sibling-controlled designs saw the apparent associations disappear or substantially diminish.
- Regulators and major medical bodies continue to recommend paracetamol for pain and fever in pregnancy, citing the dangers of untreated high temperature.
- Published after high-profile political claims about Tylenol and autism, the analysis urges higher-quality research with rigorous control of confounding and better measurement of dose and timing.