Antibiotics are preparations whose use is sometimes simply necessary - this is the case with bacterial infections. However, they are sometimes used in people with viral infections, in which case these drugs do not affect the course of the disease. There are many risks associated with the inappropriate use of antibiotics, which is why experts emphasise that these drugs should only be used in justified situations. A study undertaken by researchers at the US Vanderbilt University School of Medicine may confirm the validity of such recommendations.

The specialists conducted their work based on data on more than 84 000 mothers and their children. 64% of the children in the study group were exposed to antibiotics during the intrauterine period due to their mother's use of antibiotics during pregnancy. The researchers were interested in how many of the young patients in the study group developed asthma, finding that 14% were diagnosed with the condition by the age of six.

The scientists then analysed whether a pregnant woman's use of antibiotics affected their child's risk of asthma. They found that when the mother took antimicrobial drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy, the risk of asthma in the child was increased by 17%. When a pregnant woman took antimicrobials in the second trimester, the risk reached 9%, and when these drugs were taken by a patient who was in the third trimester of pregnancy, the risk of asthma in her child was increased by 11%.

It is unclear why the use of antibiotics during pregnancy would promote asthma in children - the authors of this study hypothesised that changes in the bacterial flora of the mother and the foetus, resulting in an impaired development of the child's immune system, would be responsible. Sometimes antibiotic therapy cannot be avoided, but these reports perfectly illustrate that antimicrobial preparations should only be used when clearly indicated.