Biological Analyses

Biological assessments of mothers and their children differ from the studies previously outlined because they don't rely on mothers' recollections of acetaminophen use during pregnancy. Instead, these studies measure acetaminophen in meconium–a baby's first stool–and umbilical cord plasma. These same children were then assessed for ASD years later to determine whether there is/was an association between their mother's acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism in their children.

Canadian Birth Cohort

345 mother-child pairs

Scientists measured acetaminophen exposure through the concentration of the drug in a baby's meconium. This study found that children exposed to acetaminophen prior to birth were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD; development of ADHD is highly similar to that of autism. Amount of exposure had an impact on rates of ADHD: the increasing prevalence of acetaminophen in meconium resulted in higher rates of ADHD.

Boston Birth Cohort

996 mother-child pairs

At birth, scientists collected umbilical cord plasma samples from mothers, and acetaminophen levels were measured in all samples. When broken into three groups ranked on the amount of acetaminophen in the plasma, babies in the second and third highest exposure groups were significantly more likely to have developed ADHD and/or ASD. Duration of exposure impacted rates of ADHD/ASD: the increasing prevalence of acetaminophen in meconium resulted in higher rates of ADHD/ASD.

Biological Analyses

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