Acetaminophen might be detrimental to the lungs, reported Tricia M. McKeever, Ph.D., of the University of Nottingham (England) and her colleagues.
An analysis of data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) confirmed previous findings suggesting links between consistent acetaminophen use and asthma risk, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk, and poor lung function. The study included 13,492 adults, 53% of whom were women, with a mean age of 45 years. About 41% were white, 30% were black, and 29% were Mexican American (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2005;171:966–71). The participants completed questionnaires and underwent physicals and lung function tests.
Overall, the prevalence of asthma was 6.9%, the prevalence of COPD was 11.8%, and the prevalence of both conditions together was 2.8%. About 4% of the participants reported taking acetaminophen daily, compared with 8.2% and 2.5% of those who reported taking daily aspirin and ibuprofen, respectively.
A dose-dependent relationship surfaced between increased acetaminophen use and increased asthma prevalence, with an odds ratio of 1.20 for each increasing category of medication intake. The categories were: never, occasional (1–5 times per month), regular (6–29 times per month), and daily (at least 30 times per month).
Regular or daily acetaminophen use also was associated with an increased prevalence of COPD (odds ratio 1.16 for each increasing category of use), independent of asthma risk.