Early antibiotics increase asthma risk

Children who were given antibiotics as infants have a higher risk of developing asthma by the age of 7 years. Asthma is an inflammation of the airways that makes breathing difficult. Symptoms can include wheezing, shortness or breath, coughing and chest tightness. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to children under the age of 1 for many reasons, most often for lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, or infections of the ear or sinuses. Researchers from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and McGill University in Montreal, Canada studied antibiotic use in 13,116 children from birth to 7 years of age. Respiratory symptoms early on can be a sign of future asthma. To control this fact, they excluded infants who got antibiotics for non-respiratory tract infections, such as impetigo or urinary infections. Of those, the risk for asthma before 7 years doubled as compared to babies who received no antibiotics before the age of 1. It was found that babies who were exposed early to antibiotics and who did not have a dog at home before their first birthday were at a higher risk for asthma by the age of 7 years. The presence of a dog preferably increases the infant's exposure to germs, which can help kick-start the baby's immune system.