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Take medicine during pregnancy...Is it okay to take antibiotics?

Research Team from Sungkyunkwan University Demonstrates Association Between Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children

During pregnancy, not all medications can be taken freely. Antibiotics are one such medication that is often avoided. However, research has shown that using antibiotics during pregnancy does not increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, language disorder, or epilepsy. This study was published online on May 25 in the prestigious medical journal, the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Professor Joo-Young Shin’s research team at Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Pharmacy utilized large-scale domestic maternal-newborn linked healthcare big data to study the correlation between antibiotic use in mothers and newborns and the occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections in mothers and children. However, they are known to disrupt the balance of gut microbiota. This has raised concerns about the risks of using antibiotics during the fetal or newborn period when gut microbiota are developing.

The study used maternal-newborn linked health insurance claim data from the National Health Insurance Service to examine approximately 4 million children born between 2009 and 2020 over about 12 years.

The research team constructed separate cohorts for mothers and newborns to evaluate the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, language disorder, epilepsy) due to antibiotic use. They created a propensity score-matched cohort to account for various confounding factors and a sibling cohort to consider genetic and environmental factors.

The results showed that maternal antibiotic use during pregnancy did not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, language disorder, or epilepsy in children. However, antibiotic use in newborns within the first six months of life did not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or language disorder, but it was found to increase the risk of epilepsy by 1.13 times.

Particularly, the risk increased with earlier and longer use of antibiotics in newborns.

Professor Joo-Young Shin stated, "This study is significant as it provides safety evidence for the population of pregnant women and newborns, who require more careful selection of medication prescriptions and usage. Given that infections can severely impact the health outcomes of both the mother and the fetus, appropriate use of antibiotics is necessary and can be used as clinical guideline evidence."

On the other hand, it is crucial to use antibiotics during pregnancy strictly according to a doctor’s prescription and guidelines. Generally, tetracyclines and aminoglycosides are contraindicated. Tetracyclines are prohibited during pregnancy as they can affect fetal bone growth and cause tooth discoloration. Aminoglycosides can adversely affect the fetus’s kidney function and hearing.