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.