Children of mothers who have undergone antibiotic therapy during pregnancy are twice as likely to develop asthma as compared to children of women who do not use this type of medication.
Scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago have come to such conclusions, and the results of the study are described in the latest issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The prevalence of asthma in developed countries has doubled in the last 30 years. We wondered why – says Dr. Brittany Lapin, the main author of the study. – It is known that the pre- and perinatal events have a great influence on the shaping and development of the human immune system. Therefore, we decided to check whether taking antibiotics by the mother during this period may affect the likelihood of developing asthma in a child who also has other family predispositions to it.
298 pairs of mothers and their 3-year-old children participated in the study. Thanks to the analyzes of medical databases, it turned out that 22 percent. babies, whose mothers took antibiotics during pregnancy, were diagnosed with asthma before their third birthday. For children of women not using prenatal antibiotics, this percentage was 3%.
According to the researchers, this difference may be due to the fact that antibiotics alter the mother’s microbiome and / or the placenta, which alters the functioning of the baby’s immune system and increases the risk of developing asthma.
This is another reason to avoid antibiotics while pregnant for as long as possible. This is especially true for women who themselves suffer from asthma, hay fever or eczema. It is true that getting sick during this period is particularly troublesome, but it is really worth being careful. This can help prevent the development of asthma in children, emphasizes Dr. Lapin.
The authors of the study point out that there are, of course, situations where the antibiotic cannot be avoided, but advise extreme caution. (PAP)