Antibiotic Use During Infancy May Increase Risk For Developing Childhood Asthma

WebMD (5/16, Nierenberg) reported that infants who are given “antibiotics during the first year of life may be at a slightly increased risk of developing asthma by age 18,” according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers analyzed data from “22 previous studies published between 1950 and July 1, 2010,” and found that infants who given antibiotics “during their first year of life were about 50% more likely than babies who never received the drugs to be diagnosed with asthma.” In studies that adjusted for “respiratory infections,” however, a child who was given “antibiotics was 13% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than a child who never took the medication.”