Key clinical point: Antibiotic use in infants younger than 12 months is associated with an increased risk of developing atopic dermatitis (AD) if shared familial and environmental factors are disregarded.
Major finding: A higher proportion of infants exposed (13.7%) vs. not exposed (13.4%) to antibiotics developed AD after 12 months of age. The risk of developing AD was higher in infants exposed to antibiotics in the first 12 months after birth (adjusted hazard ratio 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.21); however, this association disappeared when the data were matched with those obtained from their siblings.
Study details: Findings are from a retrospective, large-scale study including 85,954 infants, of which 10.1% were exposed to antibiotics at <12 months of age.
Disclosures: This study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research and the Project Promoting Clinical Trials for Development of New Drugs in Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. Dr. Kawakami declared holding stock options and receiving research funds, consulting fees, and executive compensation from several sources.
Source: Tsuchida T et al. Acta Paediatr. 2021 (Dec 17). Doi: 10.1111/apa.16221.