Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked A-ABX-05 standard review
Early antibiotics and asthma (US)
Antibiotic exposure by 6 months and asthma and allergy at 6 years: Findings in a cohort of 1,401 US children.
Overview
Risnes KR et al.. Am J Epidemiol 2011 · PMID 21190986 · DOI 10.1093/aje/kwq400
Antibiotics before 6 months were linked to asthma at age 6.
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.
- How was the study done?
Cohort.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
1401.
- What was actually found?
Association.
- How large was the observed effect?
OR 1.52.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Uncertain.
- What are the study's limitations?
Small.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Association.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Moderate.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Causation.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Risnes KR, Belanger K, Murk W, Bracken MB
- Journal
- Am J Epidemiol
- Year
- 2011
- Identifier
- PMID 21190986 DOI 10.1093/aje/kwq400 · PMC3105273
- Verification
- verified – PubMed E-utilities efetch, 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
PubMed lists: ErratumIn (Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Apr 1;173(7):846), ErratumIn (Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Jun 15;173(12):1475)
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract/record (grants: NIAID NIH HHS, NIDA NIH HHS)
2. Research question
Antibiotics by 6 months and asthma/allergy at 6 years
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – Prospective cohort
- Population
US children
- Country
USA
- Period
2003-2007
- Sample size
1401
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Antibiotics < 6 months
- Comparator
Unexposed
- Endpoints
Asthma, allergy tests
- Statistical methods
Adjusted OR
5. Actual results
- Results
Asthma aOR 1.52 (1.07-2.16); no early LRI OR 1.66 (1.12-3.46); allergy test OR 1.59 (1.10-2.28).
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Protopathic bias unlikely to account for main findings.
6. Strengths
- Addresses protopathic bias
7. Weaknesses
- Small
- Two errata
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- ROBINS-E
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- some concerns
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Wide CIs.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Moderate.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Association.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | moderate |
| Risk of bias | some concerns |
| Precision of results | low |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | mixed |
| Regional transferability | moderate |
| 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?
Association.
- C. What conclusions do the authors themselves draw?
Protopathic bias unlikely.
- D. What does the archive derive from it?
Supports link.
- E. Is this derivation scientifically justified?
Justified as association.
- Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive)
- not applicable