Table 3.
Antibiotic Exposure and Risk of Atopy
| Ref. | Population | Time of Antibiotic Prescription (s) | Method | Antibiotic Use Assessed by: | Number in Study | Findings/ OR | Antibiotics Associated with Atopy | 95% CI | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Von Mutius et al. 1999 [40] | Dresden, children aged 5-11 | 1st year >5 courses | Survey. Questionnaires to parents, clinical examination, venous bloods for IgE | Antibiotic use assessed by retrospective questionnaires | 5067 | 0.92 | no | 0.72-1.17 | |
| Tamay et al. 2007 [43] | Istanbul, children aged 6-12 | 1st year | Survey | Retrospective questionnaires to parents | 2387, 95% response rate | 1.26 | yes | 1.01-1.57 | Outcome was allergic rhinitis, used as marker for atopy |
| Floistrup et al. 2006 [34] | Steiner school children and a comparator group, age 5-13 | 1st year | Survey of parents. Blood samples for IgE estimation | Antibiotic use assessed by retrospective questionnaires | 1856 | 1.15 | no | 0.84-1.58 | |
| Kummeling et al. 2007 [47] | Netherlands. Children up to 2 years | 1st 6 months, including administration to breastfeeding mothers | Prospective cohort | Antibiotic use assessed by retrospective questionnaires | 815 | 1.32 | No | 0.86-2.02 | |
| Cullinan et al. 2004 [50] | Atopy (positive skin prick test) in adults in Kent | 1st 5 years | Retrospective cohort, self-report of illness | GP records of prescriptions | 746 | OR 1.01 | no | 0.97-1.05 | No association with hayfever, but association with asthma, above |
| Droste et al. 2000 [41] | Belgium, children aged 7-8 | 1st year | Survey questionnaires to parents. Skin prick tests | Retrospective questionnaires to parents. | 675 | OR 1.1 | no | 0.7-1.7 | |
| Harris et al. 2007 [54] | Children aged 8, in Kent, UK | 1st 5 years | Prospective cohort. Annual retrospective questionnaires to parents | GP records | 490 | 1.00 | no | 0.97-1.03 | Atopy assessed from notes |
| Johnson et al. 2005 [57] | Detroit, USA, children aged 6-7 | 1st 6 months | Prospective cohort Clinical examination, skin prick tests, IgE from venous blood | All Medical records. | 488 | 1.48 | no | 0.94-2.34 | associations in subgroups |
Papers are ordered by sample size.
aHR, adjusted hazard ratio; OR, odds ration; CI, confidence intervals; GP, general (medical) practitioner.