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The importance of prenatal exposures on the development of allergic disease: a birth cohort study using the West

Tricia M McKeever1, Sarah A Lewis, Chris Smith

  • 1Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom. tricia.mckeever@nottingham.ac.uk

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|September 17, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Exposure to antibiotics and infections during pregnancy increases a child's risk of developing allergic diseases like asthma, eczema, and hay fever. This study highlights potential prenatal risk factors for childhood allergies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Epidemiology
  • Perinatal Health

Background:

  • The causes of allergic diseases remain unclear, but reduced infection exposure is implicated.
  • Limited data exist on how prenatal microbial exposure affects a child's allergy risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of perinatal exposures on the incidence of asthma, eczema, and hay fever.
  • To examine the association between in utero antibiotic and infection exposure and allergic disease development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a birth cohort of 24,690 children from the West Midlands General Practice Research Database.
  • Investigation of perinatal exposures, including in utero antibiotic and infection exposure, and their correlation with allergic disease incidence.

Main Results:

  • In utero antibiotic exposure showed a dose-related increase in asthma risk (HR 1.68) and was associated with higher risks of eczema (HR 1.17) and hay fever (HR 1.56).
  • In utero infections were linked to a small increase in allergic disease risk.
  • Older siblings demonstrated a protective effect against allergy development, while non-live birth previous pregnancies did not.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to antibiotics and infections are significant potential risk factors for developing allergic diseases in children.
  • Understanding these prenatal influences is crucial for allergy prevention strategies.

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