Asthma occurrence in children and early life systemic antibiotic use: an incidence density study

BACKGROUND: Results of studies evaluating the relationship between asthma occurrence and early life antibiotic use have been conflicting. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occurrence of asthma in children and systemic antibiotic use in the first year of life based on an incidence density study with careful consideration of the temporal aspects of the determinant-outcome relationship. METHODS: We conducted an incidence density study nested in a data collection project with information on 1128 mother–child pairs. Systemic antibiotic use in the first year of life was defined as excessive (≥ 4 courses) vs. non-excessive (< 4 courses) use based on information from weekly diaries. Events (cases) were defined as the first parent-reported occurrence of asthma in a child between 1 and 10 years of age. Population time ‘at risk’ was probed by sampling population moments (controls). Missing data were imputed. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between current first asthma occurrence (incidence density) and systemic antibiotic use in the first year of life, to evaluate effect modification and adjust for confounding. RESULTS: Forty-seven first asthma events and 147 population moments were included. Excessive systemic antibiotic use in the first year of life showed more than twice the incidence density of asthma compared to non-excessive use (adjusted IDR [95% CI]: 2.18 [0.98, 4.87], p = 0.06). The association was more pronounced in children who have had lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in the first year of life compared to children who had no LRTIs in the first year of life (adjusted IDR [95% CI]: 5.17 [1.19, 22.52] versus 1.49 [0.54, 4.14]). CONCLUSIONS: Excessive use of systemic antibiotics in the first year of life may play a role in the genesis of asthma in children. This effect is modified by the occurrence of LRTIs in the first year of life, with a stronger association observed in children experiencing LRTIs in the first year of life. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13223-023-00773-8.