"President Trump blasted followers on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday with this dire warning: Don't give Tylenol to your young child for virtually any reason. This statement followed a highly publicized press conference last week in which he and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., suggestedin contradiction to the best existing medical evidencethat acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, causes autism when given to pregnant people or young children."
"Why the president and HHS secretary are concentrating their efforts on this extremely common pain reliever and fever reducer is unclear and neither has cited much high-quality evidence for these claims. While there are a handful of studies showing a correlation between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism rates, this does not mean that the drug causes autism. Tylenol is one of the only medications health care providers can prescribe to treat fever in pregnancy."
Public warnings advise against giving Tylenol to young children and claim links between acetaminophen use and autism in pregnancy and early childhood. High-quality evidence supporting a causal relationship is lacking; observed correlations do not prove causation. Tylenol is one of the few fever treatments available during pregnancy because alternatives such as ibuprofen and other NSAIDs have been associated with increased miscarriage risk. Scant evidence exists that acetaminophen raises autism risk, and prolonged fevers themselves associate with higher autism rates. Numerous studies indicate acetaminophen is safe and effective in children and is widely used.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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