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Intrapartum Antibiotic Exposure and Body Mass Index in Children

Corinna Koebnick1, Margo A Sidell1, Darios Getahun1

  • 1Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California, USA.

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|January 25, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for group B streptococcus (GBS) may increase childhood body mass index (BMI). This effect was observed in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries, highlighting potential long-term health impacts.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal health
  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is crucial for preventing neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) infections.
  • Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between IAP and increased childhood body mass index (BMI).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between GBS-IAP and childhood BMI.
  • To compare the effects of GBS-IAP with other intrapartum antibiotic exposures.
  • To analyze these associations stratified by delivery mode.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 223,431 infants born between 2007-2015.
  • Comparison of BMI trajectories up to age 5 years between infants exposed to GBS-IAP, other intrapartum antibiotics, or no antibiotics.
  • Adjustment for demographics, maternal factors, breastfeeding, and childhood antibiotic exposure.

Main Results:

  • GBS-IAP was associated with a sustained increase in BMI from 0.5 to 5 years in vaginal deliveries compared to no antibiotics (ΔBMI at 5 years: 0.12 kg/m²).
  • In cesarean deliveries, GBS-IAP was linked to higher BMI from 0.7 to 5 years compared to other antibiotics (ΔBMI at 5 years: 0.24 kg/m²).
  • Breastfeeding did not alter these observed associations.

Conclusions:

  • GBS-IAP is associated with a small but persistent increase in childhood BMI starting from early infancy.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term implications of perinatal antibiotic exposure on child health.
  • These findings underscore the importance of judicious antibiotic use during pregnancy and delivery.
Abstract

Keywords:
body mass indexchildhood obesitydelivery modeintrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis

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