Antibiotic exposure during pregnancy, early infancy
Exposure to antibiotics during early life may increase the risk of developing certain neurodevelopmental disorders, according to a study published in the BMJ.
In the study, investigators examined whether antibiotic exposure during pregnancy or early infancy — defined as the first 6 months of life — affected neurodevelopmental outcomes among nearly 3.6 million children born between 2009 and 2020 from Korea’s National Health Insurance Service mother-child linked database.
They found that the use of antibiotics during pregnancy or early infancy were not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disorder or language disorder. Although children exposed to antibiotics during pregnancy were not more likely to experience epilepsy, those exposed to antibiotics during early infancy were slightly more likely to experience epilepsy. Further, children who used antibiotics for more than 15 days were at an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
The investigators underscored that clinicians should consider the risks of prescribing antibiotics during pregnancy and early life, as a result of the findings.
Read more: BMJ
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