WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study led by scientists at Rutgers University found that giving antibiotics to children before they turn two may raise their chances of developing asthma and allergies later in life, especially if they take several courses.
The research, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, looked at health records of over one million children in the UK, using data from 1987 to 2020. The focus was on children who were given antibiotics during their first two years and whether they later developed conditions like asthma, food allergies, or hay fever between the ages of 2 and 12.
'Antibiotics play a critical role in combatting bacterial infections, but physicians should be judicious when prescribing antibiotics to children under 2, as frequent use may affect long-term health outcomes,' lead study author Daniel Horton, MD, of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research.
Earlier studies had pointed to similar links, but many were small or didn't account for other factors like the illnesses that led to the use of antibiotics. This study aimed to be more accurate by analyzing a much larger group and comparing siblings from the same families.
The researchers found that early antibiotic use was linked to a higher risk of asthma, food allergies, and hay fever. There was also a possible connection to intellectual disability. However, they didn't find any link between antibiotics and other conditions like autism, type 1 diabetes, or anxiety.
The study doesn't prove that antibiotics directly cause asthma or allergies. But the fact that the risk increased with the number of antibiotic treatments and that the pattern held even when comparing siblings suggests there may be a real connection. The researchers say this highlights the importance of using antibiotics carefully, especially in very young children.
'Despite important benefits of antibiotics, this study contributes to mounting evidence for long-term harms from early-life antibiotic exposure, underscoring the need for judicious antibiotic use in infancy and early childhood,' the authors concluded.
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