Antibiotics are wondrous life-saving medicines, but using them in our earliest years may actually increase our risk of later developing allergies. This is according to a new research presented recently at the annual European Respiratory Society, ERS, International Congress in London, England.
To understand the connection between antibiotic use in the first two years of, and future allergies, or complications, Dutch researchers found out that early antibiotic use was associated with a heightened risk of hay fever, ranging from 15 to 46 percent, compared to no antibiotic use, and a heightened risk of eczema, ranging from 15 to 41 percent.
The research conducted on 300,000 people, found out that children who were prescribed 2 or more courses of antibiotics, were more likely to come down with allergies, than those who were only given one course, adding more support for a direct cause-and-effect relationship
“Early life exposure to antibiotics is related to an increased risk of both eczema and hay fever later in life,” said lead Author, Dr. Fariba Ahmadizar, of the Netherlands’ Utrecht University in a statement.
Many studies have in addition, found that early antibiotic use increases allergy risk, but these findings have been contradicted by others. By gathering together the best available research on the subject, Ahmadizar and his colleagues, hoped to provide a clearer picture. Though their review is yet to be published, there are independent scientists, who cautiously agree with their overall conclusion.
“Assuming that scrutiny of the full report of this systematic review confirms these findings are robust, then the review adds to the growing body of evidence, that antibiotics, although life-saving, and incredibly beneficial in the right circumstances, carry important potential ‘down sides’ for the individuals who take them,” Dr. Adam Finn, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Bristol in England said.
Elsewhere, another research has found that, people who grow up in environments that appear less hygienic, such as farms, are less likely to develop allergies.
Scientists have speculated that, the more we interact with microbes in our earliest years, the better calibrated our immune systems become as we age. Can you beat that? Without these early interactions however, the immune system is more likely to become hypersensitive to normally harmless environmental triggers, causing allergies.
Similarly, antibiotics can kill off the so-called good bacteria in our gut, inadvertently disrupting our immune system’s ability to differentiate friend from foe, the Authors theorized.
Far from demonizing antibiotics as a whole, though, this latest study is another reminder of the importance in using them wisely and sparingly, if possible.
Remember that unnecessary antibiotics use, puts individuals at risk for a wide range of poorer outcomes, not only eczema and hay fever, as found in this review, but also subsequent infections that are more likely to be antibiotic resistant, which means that those individuals will be sicker for longer and consume more health care resources.
“So, these findings will be of interest to both clinicians and patients, when together they weigh up the potential benefits and harms of antibiotics, especially for probable self-limiting illnesses.” Dr. Finn added.