Antibiotic Exposure Positively Linked to IBD Development

TUESDAY, Jan. 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There is a positive correlation between antibiotic exposure and development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially among adults aged 40 years and older, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in Gut.

Adam S. Faye, M.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the impact of antibiotic exposure on the risk for IBD among individuals aged 10 years or older using Denmark nationwide registries. A total of 6,104,245 individuals were included, with 52,898 new cases of IBD during 87,112,328 person-years of follow-up.

The researchers found that compared with no antibiotic exposure, antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk for IBD for all age groups, with the greatest risk seen for those aged 40 to 60 years and 60 years or older (incidence rate ratios, 1.28, 1.48, and 1.47 for those aged 10 to 40, 40 to 60, and 60 years or older, respectively). A positive dose-response was seen for all age groups. Results were similar for ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. The risk for developing IBD was highest at one to two years after antibiotic exposure and after use of antibiotic classes frequently used for treating gastrointestinal pathogens.

"As a public health measure, antibiotic stewardship may be important to limit the development of multidrug-resistant organisms, and also to reduce the risk of IBD," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text