Early exposure to antibiotics and subsequent asthma risk

January 01, 0001

Early exposure to antibiotics and subsequent asthma risk

It has been suggested that asthma has increased in prevalence to to a lack of exposure to microbes at a young age. These US researchers examined whether exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy or in the first year post-partum was linked to the risk of asthma. They searched Pubmed for studies for studies that examined such antibiotic exposure and development of asthma up to the age of 18.

The researchers found: "For exposure in the first year of life, the pooled odds ratio (OR) for all studies (N = 20) was 1.52. Retrospective studies had the highest pooled risk estimate for asthma (OR: 2.04, n = 8) compared with database and prospective studies (OR: 1.25, n = 12). Risk estimates for studies that adjusted for respiratory infections (pooled OR: 1.16, n = 5) or later asthma onset (pooled OR for asthma at or after 2 years: OR: 1.16, n = 3) were weaker but remained significant. For exposure during pregnancy (n = 3 studies), the pooled OR was 1.24."

The researchers concluded: "Antibiotics seem to slightly increase the risk of childhood asthma. Reverse causality and protopathic bias seem to be possible confounders for this relationship."

There appears to be some link with early antibiotic exposure and later asthma diagnosis, but the magnitude is difficult to determine due to possible confounders.

For the full abstract, click here.

Pediatrics 127(6):1125-1138, June 2011 © 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics
Prenatal or Early-Life Exposure to Antibiotics and Risk of Childhood Asthma: A Systematic Review. William Murk, Kari R. Risnes, Michael B. Bracken.

Category: R. Respiratory. Keywords: asthma, antibiotics, hygiene hypothesis, pregnancy, infant, systematic review with meta-analysis, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 19 July 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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