Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked A-ABX-04 standard review
Infant antibiotics and asthma (UK)
Antibiotic exposure in the first two years of life and development of asthma and other allergic diseases by 7.5 yr: a dose-dependent relationship.
Overview
Hoskin-Parr L et al.. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2013 · PMID 24299467 · DOI 10.1111/pai.12153
More antibiotic courses were linked to more asthma at age 7.
Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Link to asthma.
- How was the study done?
Cohort.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
4952.
- What was actually found?
Dose-response.
- How large was the observed effect?
OR 2.82 (4+).
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
May be confounded.
- What are the study's limitations?
Reverse causation.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Association.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
High.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Causation.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Hoskin-Parr L, Teyhan A, Blocker A, Henderson AJ
- Journal
- Pediatr Allergy Immunol
- Year
- 2013
- Identifier
- PMID 24299467 DOI 10.1111/pai.12153 · PMC3995010
- Verification
- verified – PubMed E-utilities efetch, 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract/record (grants: Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust)
2. Research question
Antibiotics 0-2 years and asthma/allergy at 7.5 years
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – ALSPAC birth cohort, logistic regression
- Population
Children
- Country
UK
- Period
ALSPAC
- Sample size
4952
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
ALSPAC
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Number of courses
- Comparator
None
- Endpoints
Asthma, eczema, hay fever, atopy
- Statistical methods
Multivariable logistic
5. Actual results
- Results
Any OR 1.75 (1.40-2.17); >=4 courses OR 2.82 (2.19-3.63); not with atopy.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Robust, dose-dependent association; not mediated through atopy.
6. Strengths
- Dose-response
7. Weaknesses
- Maternal report
- Protopathic bias likely
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- ROBINS-E
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- high
- Rationale
Respiratory symptoms of early asthma may prompt antibiotics.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Association.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
High.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Association likely confounded.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | high |
| Precision of results | moderate |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | mixed |
| Regional transferability | high |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Antibiotic exposure in early life causes asthma and allergic disease. – Studies supporting the claim
Use by the Tayebat archive
Note: according to the archive, the studies were compiled by the archive operators. Whether Dr. Elawady himself cited this study is not established.
- What the archive says about the study
Bibliography only.
- A. What was actually studied?
Antibiotics and asthma.
- B. What did the authors find?
Dose-dependent association.
- C. What conclusions do the authors themselves draw?
Robust association.
- D. What does the archive derive from it?
Supports 'linked to asthma'.
- E. Is this derivation scientifically justified?
Justified as link; causality doubtful (I-ABX-03).
- Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)
- not applicable