Administering antibiotics to children younger than 2 years can lead to childhood health issues
Types and frequency of illness varied depending on age, type of medication, dose, and a number of doses
Antibiotics administered to children younger than two are associated with several ongoing illnesses or conditions, ranging from allergies to obesity, researchers from Mayo Clinic have found in a retrospective study.
The findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Using health record data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, population-based research collaboration in Minnesota and Wisconsin, researchers analysed data from over 14,500 children.
About 70 percent of the children had received at least one treatment with antibiotics for illness before age two. Children receiving multiple antibiotic treatments were more likely to have multiple illnesses or conditions later in childhood. Types and frequency of illness varied depending on age, type of medication, dose, and a number of doses. There also were some differences between boys and girls.
Conditions associated with early use of antibiotics included asthma, allergic rhinitis, weight issues and obesity, food allergies, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, celiac disease, and atopic dermatitis.
ANI
