Neurological development disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, speech and language development delays, intellectual disorders or even epilepsies are on the rise worldwide. It is not yet fully understood why this is the case and what the causes of the disorders might be. A multifactorial origin is assumed. The disorders are also increasingly being associated with an imbalance in the gut microbiome. This change can be caused, for example, by antibiotic intake.
A team of researchers from Korea conducted a study on the topic of antibiotics and the risk of developmental disorders in children. To do this, they examined the data of more than 3 million infants who were exposed to antibiotics in the womb or in the first six months of life and compared them with children who were antibiotic-naive. From this, the team of authors determined whether treatment with antibiotic drugs could possibly increase the risk of childhood developmental disorders such as autism.
The data paint a fairly clear picture: taking antibiotics during pregnancy or in early infancy does not appear to be associated with an increased incidence of autism, language development disorders or intellectual disability. However, this does not apply to children who take antibiotics over the long term or were treated with medication in early childhood. In these subgroups, the risk of the disorders appeared to be increased. This possible correlation should be investigated further.
The authors also describe that the study showed a moderate increase in the risk of epilepsies following antibiotic treatment.
In general, antibiotics do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders during pregnancy and infancy. However, an association cannot be ruled out for some subgroups. Therefore, the risk should be taken into account before prescribing.