Trump links autism to Tylenol use, scientists urge caution

Mr Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol due to an unproven link to autism.

Mr. Trump links autism to the use of Tylenol - Photo: PEOPLE.COM

For many years, the medical community has considered acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) to be one of the safest pain relievers to use during pregnancy.

However, on September 22, US President Donald Trump declared that "taking Tylenol is not good" and linked this drug to the risk of autism.

"For this reason, they recommend that women refrain from taking Tylenol during pregnancy unless it is absolutely medically necessary. For example, in the case of a very high fever that you feel you cannot bear," Mr. Trump said at a press conference.

Finding the cause of autism has been a contentious topic for Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who pledged earlier this year to release a finding on the cause of autism by September.

Kennedy also touted leucovorin as a “promising therapy” that could help children with autism. The FDA also announced on September 22 that it had approved a tablet form of leucovorin to treat a group of young children with “cerebral folate deficiency.”

The Trump administration's planned focus on acetaminophen is likely to draw widespread criticism.

According to AFP, a review of research published last month concluded there is reason to believe there is a link between Tylenol use and autism. However, other studies have shown the opposite result.

David Mandell, a psychiatric epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told AFP that the study suggests the potential risks from taking Tylenol during pregnancy "appear to be lower than the risks from uncontrolled infections during pregnancy".

He also noted that studying the interactions between genetic and environmental factors is an important area of ​​research, but it should be done rigorously and requires decades of research and funding. He said the Trump administration's efforts are hasty.

Mr. Trump said there is no evidence of hepatitis B vaccine injection for infants.

At a press conference on September 22, Mr. Trump also called for major changes in the routine vaccination schedule for infants.

The US leader asserted without evidence that there was no reason to vaccinate infants against hepatitis B, saying "we should wait until the child is 12 years old and fully developed."

This statement goes against the medical consensus that the best way to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is to vaccinate babies within 24 hours of birth.

THANH HIEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ong-trump-lien-he-chung-tu-ky-voi-viec-dung-tylenol-gioi-khoa-hoc-keu-goi-than-trong-20250923063941091.htm