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MONDAY, Nov. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Antibiotic use in children <24 months of age is associated with a slightly higher body weight at 5 years of age, according to a study published recently in Pediatrics<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Jason P. Block, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute in Boston, and colleagues used data from the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (2009 to 2016 from 35 institutions) to assess the association of any antibiotic use at <24 months of age with body mass index (BMI) z score and overweight or obesity prevalence at 48 months to <72 months (5 years) of age. Children's same-day height and weight measurements were taken at 0 to <12, 12 to <30, and 48 to <72 months.<\/p>\n
The researchers identified 362,550 eligible children (52 percent boys, 27 percent African-American, 18 percent Hispanic), of whom 58 percent received at least one antibiotic prescription at <24 months of age. At 5 years of age, 28 percent of children had overweight or obesity. In adjusted models for children without a complex chronic condition at 5 years, there was an association between antibiotics at <24 months and a higher mean BMI z score (by 0.04 points) as well as higher odds of overweight or obesity (odds ratio, 1.05).<\/p>\n
“While this small difference in weight might not be important for individual decisions regarding antibiotic prescribing by doctors and parents, these data may serve, in a small way, to further encourage efforts to decrease antibiotic use,” Block said in a statement.<\/p>\n
One author disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n
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