WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD May 16. 2011 -- Infants
who take antibiotics during the first year of life may be at a
slightly increased risk of developing asthma by age 18, a study
shows. The study also suggests a similar risk of asthma for
children whose mothers took antibiotics during pregnancy. The
study appears online in Pediatrics. Researchers pooled data from
22 previous studies published between 1950 and July 1, 2010. Two
of the 22 studies looked at antibiotic exposure during pregnancy
while 19 studies evaluated antibiotic exposure during the first
year of life. One study assessed antibiotic exposure during both
time periods. Other studies have shown that infants who receive
antibiotics are at an increased risk for developing asthma by
age 7, and the more courses of the drug given that first year,
the greater the risk. Nine million children under age 18 in the
U.S. have asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology. What was unique about this current review
is that