Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Antibiotic use before first birthday linked to asthma later in childhood: study

From the Montreal Gazette:
Children treated with antibiotics in their first year of life appear to have a significantly higher risk of developing asthma compared with babies not given the drugs, a Canadian study suggests.

The study, published in the June issue of the journal Chest, found that the risk for asthma doubled in tots receiving antibiotics for non-respiratory infections, as well as for youngsters who received multiple antibiotic courses and who did not live with a family dog before their first birthday.

"Antibiotics are prescribed mostly for respiratory tract infections, yet respiratory symptoms can be a sign of future asthma," said lead author Anita Kozyrskyj of the University of Manitoba. "This may make it difficult to attribute antibiotic use to asthma development." ...more

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