Risk factors for asthma at 3.5 and 7 years of age
Regular readers of Updates know how much I rant and rave about how disconnected pediatricians are from the medical literature, and how inappropriate antibiotic use is devastating the health of our children. It is well established that the bacteria in our gut is a major factor in many processes, from toning a developing immune system to protecting against foreign bugs to detoxifying chemicals in our environment. To destroy this important balance of good vs bad bacteria in our gut without truly understanding the long term ramifications should be malpractice.
In this study we see a relationship between antibiotic use and asthma, again a result of destruction of the bacteria so important in helping the developing immune system stay balanced. Of particular note is that the use of antibiotics quadrupled the risk of wheezing at 7 yrs of age. This is a very large increase in risk. In addition, the use of a used mattress in infancy also increased the risk. The point is that there are many modifiable risk factors to dramatically lower the risk of asthma in our children that are just NOT being addressed.