Early Antibiotic Use Linked to Asthma

A study published in the March 2009 issue of Pediatrics reports that antibiotic use in the first year of life is associated with a small increased risk of developing asthma during early childhood.  Researchers studied over 250,000 infants and adjusted for many factors such as birth weight, gestational age, and respiratory illness during the first year of life.  The study also found that as the number of antibiotic courses taken were increased, the risk for asthma also increased.  All antibiotics, with the exception of sulfonamides, were associated with the increased risk.