Celind FS, et al. - Researchers probed into the prevalence of atopic and nonatopic asthma in 12-year-old children and determined if they correlated with different risk factors. Additionally, they evaluated whether receiving antibiotics during the first week of life was related to asthma at that age. Data shed light on the connection between antibiotic treatment during the first week of life with an increased risk of atopic asthma at 12 years. This, in turn, hinted towards an immune-mediated effect. It was deduced that being born small for gestational age led to an increase in the risk of nonatopic asthma.

Methods

• This longitudinal cohort study examined 5,654 Swedish children born in 2003.
• The parents answered questionnaires from the age of six months until 12 years.
• At 12 years, the response rate was 3637/4777 (76%).

Results

• As per the data, 6.4% subjects reported current doctor-diagnosed asthma at 12 years.
• During the first week of life, a connection was discovered between antibiotic treatment with an increased risk of atopic asthma, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.2 and 95% confidence interval of 1.2-4.2.
• Findings demonstrated that being born small for gestational age appeared to be related to an increased risk of nonatopic asthma, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.8 and 95% confidence interval of 1.1-13.7.
• In 28% cases, asthma that only occurred with colds was reported.