Antibiotic Use in Infancy Linked to Childhood Asthma

TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are prescribed antibiotics within the first year of life have a significantly higher risk of developing asthma by 7 years of age than children who are not, according to a report published in the June issue of Chest.

Anita L. Kozyrskyj, Ph.D., of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, and colleagues conducted a study of 13,116 children in a 1995 birth cohort. Those who were treated with antibiotics by 1 year of age were more likely to develop asthma by age 7, with the risk increased by 86 percent for those treated for a non-respiratory tract infection.

Children whose mothers did not have asthma, who lived in rural areas or who did not live with a dog for the first year of life who also received more than four courses of antibiotics were at the highest risk for asthma. The most commonly prescribed type of antibiotic in these subgroups was broad-spectrum cephalosporin.

"Antibiotics are prescribed mostly for respiratory tract infections, yet respiratory symptoms can be a sign of future asthma. This may make it difficult to attribute antibiotic use to asthma development," said Kozyrskyj, in a statement. "Our study reported on antibiotic use in children being treated for non-respiratory tract infections, which distinguishes the effect of the antibiotic."

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