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Published on: January 27, 2019
Antibiotics in the first year of life and subsequent neurocognitive outcomes
Rebecca F Slykerman1, John Thompson1, Karen E Waldie2
1Department of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Insights
Early life antibiotic use is linked to increased behavioral issues and depression symptoms in children. Further research is needed to confirm this association and its implications for infant healthcare.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neuroscience
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Early life gut microbiota disruption may impact neurocognitive development.
- Antibiotic exposure in infancy is a potential factor influencing this disruption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between early-life antibiotic exposure and later neurocognitive outcomes.
- To test the hypothesis that antibiotic use in the first year of life has detrimental effects on child development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 871 European mother-child pairs from the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative Study.
- Maternal interviews collected data on antibiotic use in the first 3.5 years of life.
- Neurocognitive outcomes assessed via intelligence tests and behavioral difficulty measures at ages 3.5, 7, and 11 years.
Main Results:
- Antibiotic use in the first year was reported in 70% of children with available data.
- Children exposed to antibiotics showed increased behavioral difficulties and depressive symptoms.
- Findings were consistent across psychologist, parent, teacher, and self-report measures.
Conclusions:
- A significant association exists between first-year antibiotic use and childhood neurocognitive outcomes.
- These findings suggest potential implications for antibiotic prescribing practices in infancy.
- Further research is warranted to validate these associations and inform clinical guidelines.
Aim:
There may be a link between disruption to the gut microbiota in early life and later neurocognitive outcomes. We hypothesised that antibiotic use in early life is associated with a detrimental effect on later neurocognitive outcomes.
Methods:
Eight hundred and seventy-one European mothers and their children enrolled in the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative Study at birth. Information on antibiotic use during the first year of life and between 12 months and three-and-a-half years of age was gathered via maternal interview. Intelligence test scores and measures of behavioural difficulties were obtained when children were three-and-a-half years, seven years and 11 years of age.
Results:
Antibiotic use in the first year of life was reported in 70% of the 526 children with antibiotic data assessed at age three-and-a-half years. Those who had received antibiotics had more behavioural difficulties and more symptoms of depression at follow-up. Results were consistent across all standardised psychologist administered tests, as well as parent rated, teacher rated and self-report measures.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates an association between antibiotic use in the first year of life and subsequent neurocognitive outcomes in childhood. If confirmed by further research, these findings could have implications for the use of antibiotics for minor illnesses in infancy.
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