Acetaminophen May Raise Asthma Risk
(HealthDayNews, 3/30/04)

Dr. R. Graham Barr, of Columbia University, and team, reviewed data from the Nurses Health Study, which followed nearly 122,000 women for a decade. When the investigators looked at two of the many items that the study tracked—analgesic use and the incidence of new medical conditions—they found a significant association between taking acetaminophen and the development of asthma. The researchers noted that women who used this medication on 15 or more days per month for six years had a 63 % greater risk of being diagnosed with asthma than those who did not use this drug. These findings only link acetaminophen use and asthma without showing a cause-and-effect relationship, but scientists theorize that acetaminophen’s tendency to lower blood levels of glutathione, a natural antioxidant, may be responsible for this adverse effect on the lungs.

(American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, March 2004)