Antibiotic treatment of diarrhoea is associated with decreased time to the next diarrhoea episode among young children in Vellore, India.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antibiotics are commonly given for the treatment of childhood diarrhoea, but are not indicated in most cases. Antibiotics modify the gastrointestinal microbiota, which may have unanticipated effects on the risk of subsequent diarrhoea.

Methods

In a prospective observational cohort study, we assessed the effect of caregiver-reported antibiotic treatment for diarrhoea on the timing of a child's next episode among 434 children followed from birth to 3 years of age in Vellore, India. We estimated median time differences and time ratios from inverse probability of exposure-weighted Kaplan-Meier curves for the time to next diarrhoea episode, comparing children who did and did not receive antibiotics for the previous episode.

Results

Study children had more than f

SUBMITTER: Rogawski ET 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4607743 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature