Frequent use of antibiotics in infants and young children may increase risk for asthma, allergies and other conditions

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to young children to combat conditions such as ear infections and pneumonia. But the drugs may disrupt the digestive microbiome at a significant time in a child’s development.

According to previous research, early and repeated digestive microbiome disruption from antibiotic exposure could contribute to diverse, potentially harmful or disruptive conditions as a child ages. A Rutgers Health study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases explored this further by examining antibiotic exposure data from more than 1 million babies from the United Kingdom and analyzing diagnoses of chronic pediatric conditions through age 12.

The researchers found that repeated antibiotic use before age 2 is associated with a higher risk for asthma, food allergies and hay fever later in life. These findings also applied to siblings who had different experiences with antibiotics.

“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,” said Daniel Horton, the lead author of the study and a core member of the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science within Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research .

Researchers also examined other conditions but didn’t find a consistent impact of antibiotic use on the risks for autoimmune diseases – including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis – or neurodevelopmental conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

The findings suggested a connection between antibiotic use and the risk for intellectual disabilities, but researchers said they encourage further studies to confirm these associations.

“Antibiotics are important and sometimes life-saving medicines, but not all infections in young kids need to be treated with antibiotics,” said Horton, who is also an associate professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers School of Public Health. “Parents should continue to consult with their children’s doctors on the best course of care.”

Coauthors of the study from Rutgers Health, NYU Medical Center and Stanford University School of Medicine include Matthew Beier, Soko Setoguchi, Tobias Gerhard, Jason Roy, Dawn Koffman, Dinesh Mendhe, Joanna Madej, Brian Strom, and Martin Blaser.

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