The connection between antibiotic treatment of the birthing mother and the child’s risk of developing celiac disease, type 1 diabetes and childhood rheumatism – 2024-02-24 17:28:50

According to a recent Finnish study, the antibiotic treatment given to the mother during childbirth is connected to the child’s later illnesses. Illustration image. AOP

Children whose mothers have received antibiotic treatment at birth are more likely to get autoimmune diseases than other children, according to a recent study.

The most common autoimmune diseases in children are type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and childhood rheumatism. According to the study, the mother’s antibiotic treatment was not connected to the child’s allergic diseases or asthma.

The antibiotic given to mothers during childbirth effectively prevents serious infections caused by group B streptococcus in newborns, and the resulting deaths.

An antibiotic is given to the woman giving birth if she is diagnosed with B streptococcus in the birth canal before delivery. In Finland, almost one in four of those who give birth via vaginal delivery receive antibiotics.

It has already been known that the antibiotic given to the mother during childbirth affects the development of the child’s intestinal microbial environment, or microbiome. The research supports the idea that a normal gut microbiome can play a role in a child’s long-term health.

– This is an observational study that does not directly tell whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the antibiotic mothers receive during childbirth and the child’s later health, but the result is a statistical connection that can be influenced by unknown factors, lead author of the article, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu Sofia Ainonen states in the university’s press release.

Research leader, professor of pediatrics Terhi Ruuskan according to the result encourages the development of accurate prevention methods for group B streptococcal infections. This could be a vaccine administered to the mother that would not affect the child’s normal microbiome.

In the study, between 2007 and 2018, children born by birth in Oulu University Hospital and Oulaskankaa Hospital in Northern Ostrobothnia were followed. Almost 46,000 children participated in the study.

The research utilized the national registers of the Institute of Health and Welfare, Kela and Statistics Finland, as well as the electronic patient systems of the hospitals in the OYS region.

A pre-approved version of the study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology on February 16.