{"id":99382,"date":"2025-09-30T15:43:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/how-trumps-claim-about-painkillers-and-autism-sent-karachi-mothers-searching-for-answers-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T15:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:43:20","slug":"how-trumps-claim-about-painkillers-and-autism-sent-karachi-mothers-searching-for-answers-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/how-trumps-claim-about-painkillers-and-autism-sent-karachi-mothers-searching-for-answers-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"How Trump\u2019s claim about painkillers and autism sent Karachi mothers searching for answers | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When the president of the United States stands on a podium and proclaims that Tylenol\u2014locally known as Panadol\u2014causes autism in children, parents listen. His statements unleashed a wave of fear, anxiety and anguish at least in Karachi, where we report from.<\/p>\n

An autism expert at Aga Khan University was \u201cflooded\u201d with calls and emails from anxious mothers over the weekend after Trump\u2019s briefing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany mothers feel guilty, thinking their child\u2019s autism might be linked to medications taken during pregnancy,\u201d said Associate Professor Dr Sidra Kaleem, one of Pakistan\u2019s few developmental paediatricians, and the director of the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centre at Aga Khan University Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to understand the difference between causation and association,\u201d she stressed. Some studies have observed children developing autism after their mothers took Panadol during pregnancy, others did not<\/em>. \u201cThis proves that taking Panadol does not guarantee a child will develop autism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Autism is largely a condition, with genetic and environmental factors contributing. \u201cVaccines do not cause autism,\u201d she added by way of comparison. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen children with autism from areas where vaccination programs do not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Autism manifests as social communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors, and challenges in understanding societal norms, especially when these signs appear in early childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cTylenol remains one of the safest painkillers for pregnant women, and using it when necessary is not a risk factor for autism,\u201d Dr Sidra said.<\/p>\n

Read: <\/strong>Stakeholders push reforms to curb unethical medical practices in Pakistan<\/a><\/p>\n

What did Trump say?<\/strong>
Panadol, widely prescribed to pregnant women for fevers and minor pain, is considered one of the \u201csafest\u201d options during pregnancy. Acetaminophen\u2014known globally as \u2018Tylenol\u2019 or \u2018Panadol\u2019\u2014is the same medication used to treat pain and fever.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a White House briefing on autism research, President Donald Trump said the Food and Drug Administration would notify physicians that the prenatal use of acetaminophen \u201ccan be associated with a very increased risk of autism\u201d.<\/p>\n

Scientists react to Trump<\/strong>
A major US-based non-profit organization focused on autism, Autism Speaks<\/em>, issued this statement, \u201cWe urge the Administration\u2019s resources be dedicated toward advancing new and innovative areas of research, so the community benefits from fresh insights, rather than revisiting questions that have been well studied, including vaccines and autism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The WHO and European regulators have also weighed in. \u201cNeither acetaminophen (Tylenol\/Panadol) nor vaccines have been shown to cause autism,\u201d WHO spokesperson\u00a0Tarik Jasarevic said, noting that some observational studies suggested a possible association but that evidence remains inconsistent.<\/p>\n

Medical experts and Tylenol\u2019s parent company, Kenvue, dismissed Trump\u2019s claims. \u201cIndependent science clearly shows acetaminophen does not cause autism,\u201d a spokesperson told PEOPLE <\/a>magazine.<\/p>\n

Dr. Karam Radwan, the director of the UChicago Medicine Neurodevelopmental Clinic, added, \u201cTylenol has been safely used for decades and remains one of the safest options for treating fever and pain during pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) echoed this reassurance, stating, \u201cPatient safety is our top priority. There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHO<\/a> and MHRA further clarified that autism occurs even in areas without vaccination programs, reinforcing that vaccines do not cause the condition \u2014 and similarly, there is no evidence that Panadol (acetaminophen) taken during pregnancy causes autism.<\/p>\n

\u2018We cannot draw sweeping conclusions\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The head of the Sindh Institute of Child Health & Neonatology, Professor Dr. Syed Jamal Raza, told The Express Tribune<\/em>, it is difficult to establish a clear linkage between the painkiller and Autism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we particularly talk about Panadol, we must ask why mothers are taking it during pregnancy in the first place. Often, it\u2019s due to an underlying viral infection or body pain. So, indirectly, there was already another factor present. You cannot isolate the effect. We call this a confounding effect \u2014 when two effects appear together.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed that when all factors are considered, there is still no evidence to suggest Panadol causes autism. \u201cOther factors, such as environmental influences or excessive screen time, can also play a role. We cannot draw sweeping conclusions the way Trump did. In pregnancy, even the slightest risk can cause complications, which is why we generally avoid medicines altogether. So yes, it\u2019s better to avoid taking Panadol unnecessarily for something minor like a sneeze or headache.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what actually causes autism, Dr Raza said there is no single reason. \u201cAutism is a multi-factor disorder. There is no one gene directly linked to it. What we know is that there can be a genetic predisposition, which is then triggered by environmental factors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarifying further, he added that autism has a very high heritability rate, and around 5\u201310% of cases result from single-gene disorders. Abnormalities in brain development also play a role, alongside environmental influences.<\/p>\n

Read More: <\/strong>Sindh extends HPV vaccination drive to October 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Drawing a comparison with Type 1 diabetes, he added, \u201cThe gene may be present, but it only gets activated later in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Raza explained that autism develops over a period of time, and early detection signs vary case to case, such as difficulty in maintaining eye contact. \u201cAutism is not a single, uniform disorder. It exists on a wide spectrum, which is why we call it \u2018ASD\u2019 (Autism Spectrum Disorder). It can range from mild to severe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summing up, Dr Raza emphasized that current scientific evidence strongly rejects a causal link between Panadol and autism.<\/p>\n

At most, there is a very slim possibility. The main takeaway, he said, is that while it remains ‘safe when necessary’, Panadol\u2014like all medicines\u2014should not be taken unnecessarily during pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Parents react<\/strong>
Some parents sought urgent consultations, while others dismissed the claims.<\/p>\n

One mother told The Express Tribune, \u201cI don\u2019t think it will happen because of taking Tylenol (Panadol) during pregnancy. Yes, it\u2019s possible if we take it excessively or routinely, but I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cI feel that excessive mobile use and exposure to harmful rays can also contribute to autism, as far as I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

With additional reporting by Noor ul Huda Bhurgri.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the president of the United States stands on a podium and proclaims that Tylenol\u2014locally known as Panadol\u2014causes autism in children, parents listen. His statements unleashed a wave of fear, anxiety and anguish at least in Karachi, where we report from. An autism expert at Aga Khan University was \u201cflooded\u201d with calls and emails from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/et-mehak-341759229444-0\/et-mehak-341759229444-0-640x480.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}