Released in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, a group of researchers determined that fetal exposure to antibiotics in mid to late pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of asthma for the child later in life.
For the study, researchers examined tens of thousands of children as part of the Danish National Birth Cohort.
According to the findings, 5,522 children vaginally born from mothers who consumed antibiotics during their pregnancy, had a heightened risk of developing asthma.
The findings suggest that children born in the mid to late stage of pregnancy may be at the highest risk of their newborn developing asthma later in life.
“Antibiotic exposure in mid-to-late pregnancy is associated with higher odds of childhood asthma in vaginally born children. Mode of delivery may modify the association,” researchers concluded in their journal report.
The study was authored by Cecilie Uldbjerg, Jessica Miller, David Burgner, Lars Pedersen, and Bodil Bech.
