Antibiotic Exposure and Risk of Atopic Dermatitis in Children: a Narrative Review

Exposure either in utero or early childhood has been associated with increased risk for atopic dermatitis (AD). The goal of this review is to summarize recent data related to in utero, intrapartum (i.e., onset of labor to delivery) and early childhood antibiotic exposure and AD risk.

Recent, large, population-based, cohort studies support the association between antibiotic exposure and an increased risk for AD with this risk varying depending on the type, duration and trimester of exposure. Care must be taken when interpreting the results of recent studies as differences in study design including populations, sample size, timing, duration and type of antibiotic exposure and assessment of important parental and environmental confounders makes comparisons difficult.

Understanding how antibiotics influence AD risk has important clinical implications. While the true nature of this association remains to be fully elucidated, future work examining the mechanisms by which antibiotics may influence AD risk are warranted.