Dr. Anthony Torres and colleagues at Utah State University (US) investigated links between suppressing fever with acetaminophen-based drugs like paracetamol and the development of autism. They questioned the wisdom of suppressing immune system processes which have developed over millions of years and noted that:

• 43% of mothers-to-be of an autistic child experienced upper respiratory tract, flu-like, urinary or vaginal infections during pregnancy, compared to 26% of mothers-to-be of a non-autistic child. Most of the infections would have been treated with an acetaminophen-based drug

• acetaminophen suppresses immune serum IL-6 in mother and child. A new-born is not able to make IL-6. It must be delivered through breastmilk

• a recent study linked mother-to-be's use of paracetamol whilst pregnant with their child's increased risk of developing asthma [1]

The researchers speculated that using drugs to block fever, whether in the pregnant mother or in the child, and whether due to infection or a vaccination, could interfere with normal immune development in the brain, resulting in neurological disorders in genetically and immunologically disposed individuals.

See also Darwinian Medicine