Regular use of the painkiller acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, is associated with higher rates of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and reduced lung function, according to a new study.
Animal experiments have suggested that acetaminophen might lower antioxidant activity in the lungs, explain Dr. Tricia M. McKeever, at City Hospital in Nottingham, UK, and her associates in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Whether this experimental evidence translates to an effect on human respiratory disease has been unclear. The team therefore evaluated data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted between 1988 and 1994 in the US.
