Early-life antibiotic use and risk of asthma and eczema: results of a discordant twin study. Issue 4 (23rd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Slob, Elise M.A.; Brew, Bronwyn K.; Vijverberg, Susanne J.H.; Kats, Chantal J.A.R.; Longo, Cristina; Pijnenburg, Mariëlle W.; van Beijsterveldt, Toos C.E.M.; Dolan, Conor V.; Bartels, Meike; Magnusson, Patrick; Lichtenstein, Paul; Gong, Tong; Koppelman, Gerard H.; Almqvist, Catarina; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Maitland-van der Zee, Anke H.
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 55:Issue 4(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04-23
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02021-2019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

Rationale: Early-life antibiotic use has been associated with the development of atopic diseases, but the aetiology remains unclear. To elucidate the aetiology, we used a discordant twin design to control for genetic and environmental confounding. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in twins aged 3–10 years from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR, n=35 365) and a replication study in twins aged 9 years from the Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS, n=7916). Antibiotic use was recorded at age 0–2 years. Doctor-diagnosed asthma and eczema were reported by parents when children were aged 3–12 years in both cohorts. Individuals were included in unmatched analyses and in co-twin control analyses with disease discordant twin pairs. Results: Early-life antibiotic use was associated with increased risk of asthma (NTR OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.28–1.41; CATSS OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.34–1.56) and eczema (NTR OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.13; CATSS OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.14) in unmatched analyses. Co-twin analyses in monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs showed similar results for asthma (NTR OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.20–1.98; CATSS OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.28–3.13), but opposing results for eczema in the NTR (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.80–1.25) and the CATSS (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.12–2.49). The risk of asthma increased for antibiotics prescribed for respiratory infections (CATSS OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.34–1.56), but not for antibiotics commonly used for urinary tract/skin infections (CATSS OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.88–1.17). Conclusion: Children exposed to early-life antibiotic use, particularly prescribed for respiratory infections, may be at higher risk of asthma. This risk can still be observed when correcting for genetic and environmental factors. Our results could not elucidate whether the relationship between early-life antibiotic use and eczema is confounded by familial and genetic factors. Large twin studies show that antibiotics in early life are associated with risk of asthma, regardless of familial environment and genetics, and possibly due to early infections. Risks and benefits of antibiotics use in infants should be considered. http://bit.ly/372Qu5A