Using health record data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, population-based research collaboration in Minnesota and Wisconsin, researchers analyzed data from over 14,500 children. About 70 per cent of the children had received at least one treatment with antibiotics for illness before age 2. Children receiving multiple antibiotic treatments were more likely to have multiple illnesses or conditions later in childhood. 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. While recent data show an increase in some of the childhood conditions involved in the study, experts are not sure why.

Source: Hindustan Times November 16, 2020 14:03 UTC