Antibiotic oversue and allergies
Henry Ford Health System's PR website has a blurb:
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Study Shows Link Between Antibiotics and Allergies, Asthma |
This looks like an interesting study but it's not yet published. Some of the findings:
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By age 7, children given at least one antibiotic in the first six months were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies than those who did not receive antibiotics. They were 2.5 times more likely to develop asthma.
- By age 7, children given at least one antibiotic in the first six months and who lived with fewer than two pets were 1.7 times more likely to develop allergies, and three times more likely to develop asthma.
- By age 7, children given at least one antibiotic in the first six months and whose mother had a history of allergies were nearly twice as likely to develop allergies.
- By age 7, children given at least one antibiotic in the first six months and who were breast-fed for more than four months were three times more likely to develop allergies. However, breast-feeding did not influence the risk between antibiotics and asthma.
“I’m not suggesting children shouldn’t receive antibiotics. But I believe we need to be more prudent in prescribing them for children at such an early age,” Dr. Johnson says. “In the past, many of them were prescribed unnecessarily, especially for viral infections like colds and the flu when they would have no effect anyway.”
Dr. Johnson theorizes that use of antibiotics may affect the gastrointestinal tract and alter the development of a child’s immune system.