As you may have read, there has been an alarming increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, the big guns that kill a larger number of bacteria and drug-resistant strains, are being used more often as resistance grows to narrow spectrum or first-line antibiotics.
A study published in the journal Chest last month raises new concerns about broad-spectrum antibiotic use. Do these super antibiotics given to children under a year of age increase their risk of childhood asthma?
Here’s the theory: any antibiotic, but particularly the broad-spectrum ones, kill off the bad germs that are causing infection as well as many “good germs” that live in harmony with the human body. Changing the body’s flora, may put the body at risk of other problems.
Researchers studied 14,000 children over an eight-year period and found that babies who had received at least one course of a broad-spectrum antibiotic had an increased risk of asthma later in childhood. The more rounds of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the greater the risk. The risk was independent of whether or not the mother had a history of asthma. The risk was even greater if the child received those antibiotics for a NON-respiratory infection (e.g. abladder infection).
Interestingly, having a family dog seemed to decrease the risk of the child developing asthma, especially if the child had received four or more courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Cats did not have an impact (sorry feline lovers).
Take home message: If your child needs antibiotics, narrow spectrum antibiotics, like Amoxicillin, should be used as first line treatment. Big gun, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be reserved for when we really need to use them.
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