(ANSA) - ROME, JANUARY 29 - Administering antibiotics in the first days of a newborn's life, even if in some cases it is essential, can have a negative effect on growth.
This is indicated by a study published in the journal Nature Communications, which indicates how this could be the result of changes in the development of gut bacteria.
The impact of neonatal exposure to antibiotics was studied in 12,422 infants born between 2008 and 2010 at the Finnish Turku University Hospital.
The children had no genetic abnormalities or chronic disorders affecting growth.
Antibiotics were given within the first 14 days of life to 1,151 (9.3%) of the newborns studied.
The study showed that male children who had been exposed to antibiotic treatment were significantly shorter between the ages of 2 and 6, while this was not seen in girls.
For both sexes, however, early use but after the neonatal phase was associated with an increase in fat mass.
The results were then confirmed on another sample of 1,700 German children and suggest a potential link between neonatal exposure to these drugs and reduced infant growth, as a result of antibiotic-induced alterations in the composition of the intestinal flora.
"Antibiotics are vital and life-saving drugs in infants. Our findings however suggest that their use may also have unwanted long-term consequences that need to be considered," said Omry Koren, Bar Azrieli Medical School. -Ilan University, who conducted the study.
(HANDLE).
