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.

Read the rest of this entry »