Research Suggests a Link Between Early Antibiotic Exposure to Increased Risk of Chronic Conditions

Every parent's weakness is their child being sick. No parent wants to see their child cry because they are uncomfortable. Some parents would probably want to catch the fever or colds instead of their child. Because of this, parents, especially the new ones, instinctively type their pediatrician's number and ask for treatment for their fever.

This has always been a practice because the pediatricians' prescriptions are effective in relieving their children of pain and ease the symptoms that can be far more dangerous. This thinking might change now because a new study warns the parents from quickly looking for the help of antibiotics too quickly.

A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that early antibiotic exposure is connected to an increased risk of childhood-onset asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, obesity, celiac disease, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Forbes added that early antibiotic use is connected to chronic conditions' progression to become more robust; the more rounds of antibiotics the child is administered.

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What does this mean?

At this point, questions might be popping into your head, like if it is right to give antibiotics to your child or not because of its connection to the development of various diseases. According to the Director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine from Rutgers, and co-author of the study, Martin Blaser, MD, said that the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria illustrates the unintentional consequence of antibiotics overuse. He also added that the increasing prevalence of health conditions that start in childhood had aroused concern about antibiotic contact during key developmental periods because of their impact on the microbiome.

In an interview with Forbes, Dr. Blaser said that the microbiome is typically inherited from the mother by developing its new forms on the infants. He also notes that infants' first three years are crucial because babies are developing their cognition, immunity, and metabolism. Dr. Blaser also emphasized in the interview that this is evident in their mouse models that even a brief disturbing of the microbiome has impacted the metabolism and immunity in the long run.

Should I not give antibiotics to my child?

The result can somehow be promising because microbes do really have a role in a child's immunity. Given the association of the antibiotics to microbiomes, Providence St. John's Health Center Pediatrician, Daniel Ganjan, MD, said in an interview with Forbes that jumping to conclusions quickly will not help. He emphasized that association is not causation; although the title says it is associated, it does not mean that it causes the said condition.

Dr. Blaser added that the study's discovery does imply parents to understand that antibiotics are not a quick fix for their children's diseases. He added that parents need to consult their children's physicians to carefully examine their child and determine whether an antibiotic is needed. He also stresses that if a child is suffering from a bacterial infection, then antibiotics are still needed for the treatment to avoid progression or worsening of the disease.

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