| GEO Health| Paracetamol ups asthma risk in teenagers | Updated
at: 1049 PST, Tuesday, August 17, 2010| WELLINGTON: Regular use
of paracetamol, the over-the-counter painkiller, can more than
double the risk of developing asthma and serious allergies,
findings of a new study claim. Frequent use of the analgesic
heightens the risk of asthma in teenagers by up to 2.5 times,
New Zealand researchers aver. To investigate the risk of asthma
and other allergic disorders associated with the use of
paracetamol in 13 to 14 year old children, the researchers at
the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand enrolled over
300,000 teenagers from 113 centres in 50 countries. All
participants were required to fill in written and video
questionnaires, obtaining details of symptoms of asthma,
rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. They were also required to
provide information about the use of paracetamol in the past 12
months. Teenagers who took paracetamol once a month were 2.5
times more likely to develop asthma than those who nev