US administration links paracetamol use to autism
US President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have instructed the US Food and Drug Administration to warn pregnant women against taking paracetamol, on the grounds that the painkiller increases the risk of autism in children. They took this step despite the fact that there is currently now hard scientific evidence to support the claim. Commentators take a closer look.
Mysogynistic misinformation
Trump's claims are reprehensible and baseless, The Irish Examiner rails:
“Trump is engaging in the rhetoric of blaming mothers of children who have significant behavioural issues. ... Each mother in this situation is likely struggling to cope with the challenges of daily living, while petitioning for assessment, childcare, schooling, and community healthcare for their child. They do not need to hear that taking a safe, over-the-counter medication while pregnant caused the difficulties that their child and family now face. Especially when this comment has no grounding in fact. This is misinformation at its most horrible.”
Beware of skewed science
Research can also lead to completely false conclusions, warns hvg:
“The relevant studies are not primarily concerned with how paracetamol could cause autism but measure whether autism has occurred in children whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy. It is a truism that applies to almost all scientific research that several factors coinciding doesn't necessarily imply a causal relationship. In our case, for example, one logical explanation might be that the autism is not caused by paracetamol but by the illness that caused the pregnant woman to take the medication in the first place.”
Put up with the pain every now and then
One positive aspect about Trump's statement is that it may serve as a warning against imprudent use of painkillers, says The Spectator:
“While evidence for any link between paracetamol and autism is certainly not strong, it is not unreasonable to ask whether pregnant women - and many other people, for that matter - should try to avoid taking it if they can. Taking medical drugs is often a trade-off between risk and reward, and while the risks in this case might not be great, nor, in many cases, will be the rewards. A lot of people are taking painkillers far too routinely without considering that pain is there for a reason.”
Hoping for new insights
As the mother of an autistic child herself, Naftemporiki editor Natasa Stasinou comments:
“Hopefully, the US government will follow through on its announcement of a major study on the causes and treatment options for autism. We parents would welcome any kind of 'answers' - provided they're based on fact. Autism is not a pre- or post-election campaign issue. It cannot be solved with a few words at a press conference. ... Since the medical community has not yet identified a clear cause for this neurodevelopmental disorder but considers it to be multifactorial, it's clear that there is no 'magic solution' for treating the symptoms.”