Intake of antibiotics during pregnancy may increase the risk of childhood asthma and other allergic diseases, suggests a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in the journal Allergy.¹

A meta-analysis of controlled trials was conducted to investigate a possible association between prenatal exposure to antibiotics and the risk for wheeze or asthma, including diseases associated with the atopic march, in children. Atopic march is the progression from atopic dermatitis and later on to allergic rhinitis and asthma. Twenty-seven prospective and retrospective studies from across the globe and published between 2002 and 2020 were selected for the meta-analysis after a systematic literature search.

Results showed that use of antibiotics during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of wheeze or asthma in children with relative risk of 1.51 and 1.28, respectively. Prenatal exposure of antibiotics was also found to be associated with elevated risk for eczema with RR of 1.28 and also for allergic rhinitis with RR of 1.13. Out of the 27 studies included in the meta-analysis, one study also documented an association with food allergy with RR 1.81.

This study has shown an association between prenatal use of antibiotics and increased risk of atopic diseases in childhood. However, it does not conclusively demonstrate a cause and effect link. It does highlight the significance of rational use of antibiotics during pregnancy.

Reference

1. Cait A, et al. Prenatal antibiotic exposure, asthma and the atopic march: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Allergy. 2022 Jun 11.  doi: 10.1111/all.15404.