Infants given acetaminophen (also called paracetamol; brand name, Tylenol) for pain or fever relief in their first year were no more likely to develop eczema or bronchiolitis by age 1 than those given ibuprofen (eg, Advil), according to a randomized controlled trial published last week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
Previous observational research had suggested a possible link between acetaminophen use in the first year of life and the development of eczema and asthma later on.
The current study, led by researchers from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, enrolled 3,908 infants younger than 8 weeks old at three sites in Auckland and Wellington from April 2018 to July 2023. Of the participants, 1,985 were randomized to the acetaminophen group and 1,923 to the ibuprofen group. The cohort was diverse,…