indigowarrior
19-09-2008, 06:44 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7623230.stm
Baby paracetamol asthma concern
Baby being given liquid paracetamol
Paracetamol is an effective treatment for high fever
Use of paracetamol in babies increases the risk of developing asthma five years later, a study of more than 200,000 children suggests.
Those given the painkiller for fever in the first year of life had a 46% increased risk of asthma by the age of six or seven, The Lancet reported.
Researchers do not know if the drug directly increases asthma risk or another underlying factor is to blame.
Experts said parents should still use the drug for high temperatures.
Increasing use of paracetamol in children has coincided with rising cases of asthma over the past 50 years, the researchers said.
This underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever of 39°C or more and are in obvious discomfort or pain
Professor Jeffrey Aronson
The latest study, carried out in 31 countries, is the largest to date looking at paracetamol use and childhood asthma.
Parents of children aged six and seven were asked questionnaires about symptoms of asthma, eczema and related allergic conditions in addition to details on paracetamol use for fever in the child's first year of life and the past 12 months.
The results also showed that higher doses and more regular use of the drug are associated with a greater risk of developing asthma.
Analysis of current use in 103,000 children showed those who had used paracetamol more than once a month in the past year had a three-fold increased risk of asthma compared with those who had not taken the drug in the past 12 months.
Use of paracetamol was also associated with more severe asthma symptoms.
And risk of eczema and hayfever was also increased.
Cause and effect
One explanation for the findings is that paracetamol may cause changes in the body that leave a child more vulnerable to inflammation and allergies.
Another is that the use of paracetamol in children may be a marker for something else which is causing increased rates of asthma, such as lifestyle issues or the underlying infection causing the fever, experts said.
Study leader Professor Richard Beasley from the University of Auckland said: "We stress the findings do not constitute a reason to stop using paracetamol in childhood.
"However the findings do lend support to the current guidelines of the World Health Organization, which recommend that paracetamol should be reserved for children with a high fever (38.5C or above)."
Professor Jeffrey Aronson, president of the British Pharmacological Society, said the dose relationship with paracetamol and asthma suggested there was a real association between the two.
"This confirms previous findings and underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever and are in obvious discomfort or pain."
Leanne Male, Asthma UK's assistant director of research, said: "Despite a great deal of research being carried out, we still don't know how important different lifestyle and genetic factors are in affecting the development of asthma.
"If we can establish the mechanisms behind how paracetamol might affect it, this could go some way towards helping to prevent the condition in the first place.
"At this stage however, the use of paracetamol should not be a concern for parents or carers who are worried about the development of asthma in their children."
are they studying paracetamol or the suspension liquid, CALPOL full of additives not intended for young children including sweeteners and many E numbers,
can someone find the full ingredients on a bottle they have and post them?
also found this:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1495075.ece
Banned additives in children’s medicines
Image of a small boy, with parents permission, is fed medicine at home
Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Young children and babies are routinely being given medicines containing artificial dyes, sweeteners and preservatives that are banned from food and drink for the under 3s.
Research carried out by the Food Commission has found that just one of 41 medications intended for children was free of additives, while many contained a cocktail of colourings, sweeteners and preservatives that can trigger allergic reactions such as rashes, eye irritation, stomach upsets and diarrhoea.
Many brands examined in the study by the commission, which campaigns for food safety, are commonly found in family medicine cupboards.
The researchers said that, while some additives were needed to help children to take unpalatable medicines, the quantity of substances banned for use in food and drink for the under 3s raised concerns. They called for warnings on all medications that could trigger allergic reactions.
Related Links
* Hospitals are found to be failing children
* Girls of nine get £450 vaccine to stop STD
One example was azo dye colourings, in Anbesol teething gel, Buttercup infant cough syrup, Calpol Paracetamol, Sudafed Children’s Syrup and Superdrug Children’s Chesty Cough Syrup.
Sweeteners were found in 37 products and two — Morrisons Junior Paracetamol and Superdrug Junior Paracetamol Suspension — intended for babies over 3 months contained a mixture of four sweeteners, some of which can have a laxative effect in high doses.
Preservatives such as benzoates, listed in ingredients as E210 to E219, were found in 31products. Tyxilix Night Cough Syrup, for toddlers aged 1 and over, included both a benzoate and a sulphite preservative.
This did at least give warning in the small print that “Sulphite may rarely cause hypersensitivity reactions and bronchospasms [contraction of the air-ways].”
The only medication that did not contain additives was Superdrug’s dry cough syrup for children aged 1 and over.
Ian Tokelove, spokesman for the commission, called on the pharmaceutical companies to clean up their act. He urged them to follow the example of sweets manufacturers, who use natural colourings such as beetroot and beta-carotene instead of azo dyes.
“While many children will be able to consume these products safely, there will be those who will suffer allergic reactions to these additives,” he said.
“We believe that colourings and artificial sweeteners can be replaced with natural alternatives and the use of preservatives should be rigorously questioned.” Use of the additives was defended by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which said that sweeteners and bright colours helped children to take medicine. It said that rules were less strict than on food and drink because medicines were not consumed every day.
A spokesman for Calpol, owned by Johnson & Johnson and Britain’s bestselling children’s medicine, also defended the use of additives. “Ensuring children take their medicine is important to parents,” he said. “Preservatives are used to ensure the medicines do not lose their purity.
“The ingredients contained within children’s medicines are clearly labelled on the packaging to enable parents to make an informed choice about the medicine they administer to their child.”
Richard Watts, children’s food and health campaigner at Sustain, said that the findings showed the need for strong scrutiny of the sector. “This is a very interesting survey which suggests a concerning potential loophole in the law,” he added.
Medicines with additives
Children’s medicines said by the Food Commission to contain at least one colouring, preservative, sweetener or flavouring banned in food and drink for the under3s:
Anbesol teething gel Beecham’s Veno’s for kids chesty cough syrup 2yrs plus
Benadryl allergy oral solution 2yrs plus Benylin children’s tickly coughs 3mths plus
Benylin children’s coughs and colds 1-12yrs Benylin children’s chesty coughs 1-12yrs
Benylin children’s dry coughs 1-12yrs Benylin children’s night coughs 1-12yrs
Boots dry cough syrup 1yr plus Boots Night Time Cough Syrup 1yr plus
Boots Pain Relief 3mths plus Boots Pain Relief
Paracetamol Suspension 3mths plus Bonjela teething gel
Buttercup infant cough syrup 2yrs plus Calgel teething gel 3mths plus
Calpol paracetamol 2mths plus Calprofen Ibuprofen 6mths plus
Cuprofen for children (Ibuprofen) 6mths plus Dentinox teething gel
Disprol paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Infacol colic treatment from birth
Medinol under6 paracetamol 3mths plus Medised pain and fever relief 3mths plus
Meltus chesty coughs 1yr plus Meltus baby cough linctus 3mths plus
Meltus dry coughs 2yrs plus Morrissons junior paracetamol 3mths plus
Nurofen for children 3mths plus Piriton allergy syrup 1yr plus
Sudafed children’s syrup 2yrs plus Superdrug children’s chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Superdrug Junior Ibuprofen suspension 6mths plus
Superdrug junior paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Tesco children’s ibuprofen 6mths plus
Tixylix baby syrup 3mths plus Tixylix Cough and Cold 1yr plus
Tixylix chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Tixylix dry cough syrup 1yr plus
Tixylix night cough syrup 1yr plus Unichem Junior Ibuprofen
Baby paracetamol asthma concern
Baby being given liquid paracetamol
Paracetamol is an effective treatment for high fever
Use of paracetamol in babies increases the risk of developing asthma five years later, a study of more than 200,000 children suggests.
Those given the painkiller for fever in the first year of life had a 46% increased risk of asthma by the age of six or seven, The Lancet reported.
Researchers do not know if the drug directly increases asthma risk or another underlying factor is to blame.
Experts said parents should still use the drug for high temperatures.
Increasing use of paracetamol in children has coincided with rising cases of asthma over the past 50 years, the researchers said.
This underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever of 39°C or more and are in obvious discomfort or pain
Professor Jeffrey Aronson
The latest study, carried out in 31 countries, is the largest to date looking at paracetamol use and childhood asthma.
Parents of children aged six and seven were asked questionnaires about symptoms of asthma, eczema and related allergic conditions in addition to details on paracetamol use for fever in the child's first year of life and the past 12 months.
The results also showed that higher doses and more regular use of the drug are associated with a greater risk of developing asthma.
Analysis of current use in 103,000 children showed those who had used paracetamol more than once a month in the past year had a three-fold increased risk of asthma compared with those who had not taken the drug in the past 12 months.
Use of paracetamol was also associated with more severe asthma symptoms.
And risk of eczema and hayfever was also increased.
Cause and effect
One explanation for the findings is that paracetamol may cause changes in the body that leave a child more vulnerable to inflammation and allergies.
Another is that the use of paracetamol in children may be a marker for something else which is causing increased rates of asthma, such as lifestyle issues or the underlying infection causing the fever, experts said.
Study leader Professor Richard Beasley from the University of Auckland said: "We stress the findings do not constitute a reason to stop using paracetamol in childhood.
"However the findings do lend support to the current guidelines of the World Health Organization, which recommend that paracetamol should be reserved for children with a high fever (38.5C or above)."
Professor Jeffrey Aronson, president of the British Pharmacological Society, said the dose relationship with paracetamol and asthma suggested there was a real association between the two.
"This confirms previous findings and underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever and are in obvious discomfort or pain."
Leanne Male, Asthma UK's assistant director of research, said: "Despite a great deal of research being carried out, we still don't know how important different lifestyle and genetic factors are in affecting the development of asthma.
"If we can establish the mechanisms behind how paracetamol might affect it, this could go some way towards helping to prevent the condition in the first place.
"At this stage however, the use of paracetamol should not be a concern for parents or carers who are worried about the development of asthma in their children."
are they studying paracetamol or the suspension liquid, CALPOL full of additives not intended for young children including sweeteners and many E numbers,
can someone find the full ingredients on a bottle they have and post them?
also found this:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1495075.ece
Banned additives in children’s medicines
Image of a small boy, with parents permission, is fed medicine at home
Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Young children and babies are routinely being given medicines containing artificial dyes, sweeteners and preservatives that are banned from food and drink for the under 3s.
Research carried out by the Food Commission has found that just one of 41 medications intended for children was free of additives, while many contained a cocktail of colourings, sweeteners and preservatives that can trigger allergic reactions such as rashes, eye irritation, stomach upsets and diarrhoea.
Many brands examined in the study by the commission, which campaigns for food safety, are commonly found in family medicine cupboards.
The researchers said that, while some additives were needed to help children to take unpalatable medicines, the quantity of substances banned for use in food and drink for the under 3s raised concerns. They called for warnings on all medications that could trigger allergic reactions.
Related Links
* Hospitals are found to be failing children
* Girls of nine get £450 vaccine to stop STD
One example was azo dye colourings, in Anbesol teething gel, Buttercup infant cough syrup, Calpol Paracetamol, Sudafed Children’s Syrup and Superdrug Children’s Chesty Cough Syrup.
Sweeteners were found in 37 products and two — Morrisons Junior Paracetamol and Superdrug Junior Paracetamol Suspension — intended for babies over 3 months contained a mixture of four sweeteners, some of which can have a laxative effect in high doses.
Preservatives such as benzoates, listed in ingredients as E210 to E219, were found in 31products. Tyxilix Night Cough Syrup, for toddlers aged 1 and over, included both a benzoate and a sulphite preservative.
This did at least give warning in the small print that “Sulphite may rarely cause hypersensitivity reactions and bronchospasms [contraction of the air-ways].”
The only medication that did not contain additives was Superdrug’s dry cough syrup for children aged 1 and over.
Ian Tokelove, spokesman for the commission, called on the pharmaceutical companies to clean up their act. He urged them to follow the example of sweets manufacturers, who use natural colourings such as beetroot and beta-carotene instead of azo dyes.
“While many children will be able to consume these products safely, there will be those who will suffer allergic reactions to these additives,” he said.
“We believe that colourings and artificial sweeteners can be replaced with natural alternatives and the use of preservatives should be rigorously questioned.” Use of the additives was defended by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which said that sweeteners and bright colours helped children to take medicine. It said that rules were less strict than on food and drink because medicines were not consumed every day.
A spokesman for Calpol, owned by Johnson & Johnson and Britain’s bestselling children’s medicine, also defended the use of additives. “Ensuring children take their medicine is important to parents,” he said. “Preservatives are used to ensure the medicines do not lose their purity.
“The ingredients contained within children’s medicines are clearly labelled on the packaging to enable parents to make an informed choice about the medicine they administer to their child.”
Richard Watts, children’s food and health campaigner at Sustain, said that the findings showed the need for strong scrutiny of the sector. “This is a very interesting survey which suggests a concerning potential loophole in the law,” he added.
Medicines with additives
Children’s medicines said by the Food Commission to contain at least one colouring, preservative, sweetener or flavouring banned in food and drink for the under3s:
Anbesol teething gel Beecham’s Veno’s for kids chesty cough syrup 2yrs plus
Benadryl allergy oral solution 2yrs plus Benylin children’s tickly coughs 3mths plus
Benylin children’s coughs and colds 1-12yrs Benylin children’s chesty coughs 1-12yrs
Benylin children’s dry coughs 1-12yrs Benylin children’s night coughs 1-12yrs
Boots dry cough syrup 1yr plus Boots Night Time Cough Syrup 1yr plus
Boots Pain Relief 3mths plus Boots Pain Relief
Paracetamol Suspension 3mths plus Bonjela teething gel
Buttercup infant cough syrup 2yrs plus Calgel teething gel 3mths plus
Calpol paracetamol 2mths plus Calprofen Ibuprofen 6mths plus
Cuprofen for children (Ibuprofen) 6mths plus Dentinox teething gel
Disprol paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Infacol colic treatment from birth
Medinol under6 paracetamol 3mths plus Medised pain and fever relief 3mths plus
Meltus chesty coughs 1yr plus Meltus baby cough linctus 3mths plus
Meltus dry coughs 2yrs plus Morrissons junior paracetamol 3mths plus
Nurofen for children 3mths plus Piriton allergy syrup 1yr plus
Sudafed children’s syrup 2yrs plus Superdrug children’s chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Superdrug Junior Ibuprofen suspension 6mths plus
Superdrug junior paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Tesco children’s ibuprofen 6mths plus
Tixylix baby syrup 3mths plus Tixylix Cough and Cold 1yr plus
Tixylix chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Tixylix dry cough syrup 1yr plus
Tixylix night cough syrup 1yr plus Unichem Junior Ibuprofen