Burden of Infections in Early Life and Risk of Infections and Systemic Antibiotics Use in Childhood, Brustad et al, 2025

Abstract

Importance A high infection burden in early childhood is common and a risk factor for later disease development. However, longitudinal birth cohort studies investigating early-life infection burden and later risk of infection and antibiotic episodes are lacking.

Objective To investigate whether early-life infection burden is associated with a later risk of infection and systemic antibiotic treatment episodes in childhood.

Design, Setting, and Participants This longitudinal cohort study of children from birth to age 10 or 13 years included data from the Danish population-based Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) birth cohort between November 2008 to November 2010. Children were monitored for infection diagnoses and systemic antibiotic prescriptions from national databases until February 1, 2024, by which time they had completed the age 10- or 13-year visit. Children with immune deficiencies or congenital diseases were excluded.

Exposures Daily diary-registered common infection episodes of cold, acute otitis media, tonsillitis, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and fever episodes from birth to 3 years.

Main Outcome and Measures After age 3 years, the incidence of moderate to severe infection diagnoses and systemic antibiotic prescriptions were estimated using adjusted incidence rate ratios (AIRRs) calculated from quasi-Poisson regression models. All analyses were adjusted for social and environmental confounders.

Results A total of 614 children (317 male [51.6%]) with diary data from birth to 3 years had completed follow-up until age 10 or 13 years. No differences in baseline characteristics between the children having vs not having available diary data were noted. Children with a high vs low burden of diary-registered infections between birth and 3 years (ie, equal to and above vs below the median of 16) had an increased risk of later moderate to severe infections (181 vs 87 episodes; AIRR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.52-3.89) and systemic antibiotic treatments (799 vs 623 episodes; AIRR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.07-1.68) until age 10 or 13 years. Each diary infection episode also increased the later risk of moderate to severe infections (AIRR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08) and systemic antibiotic treatments (AIRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04). Subtype analyses showed significant associations between each cold, acute otitis media, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and fever episode between birth and 3 years and risk of later moderate to severe infections or systemic antibiotic treatments.

Conclusions and relevance This longitudinal cohort study suggests that early-life infection burden may continue throughout childhood and is associated with later antibiotic treatments independent of social and environmental risk factors. These findings are important for prognosis and follow-up of children experiencing a high burden of common infections in early life.


https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828688

 

Cidrap Early-life infection burden continues throughout childhood, new data reveal

quote:

"This longitudinal cohort study suggests that early-life infection burden may continue throughout childhood and is associated with later antibiotic treatments independent of social and environmental risk factors," the study authors wrote.

The authors also note that, in addition to their findings, other studies have found links between early childhood infection burden and the development of asthma, allergies, cardiometabolic risk factors, and mental disorders later in life.

"It is important for all pediatricians to discuss these disease trajectories associated with early-life infections with families, knowing that a high infection load in the first years of life may increase the risk of infections in later childhood and a range of other chronic disorders later in life," they wrote.

 

Maybe this is standard researcher speak for "associated with", but to the general public I think this could easily be misconstrued as causal. I didn't thoroughly read the paper, but I didn't see any evidence that infections in early life cause problems later in life. Seems likely they're just associated because some people are more prone to infections no matter what age they are.

It would be interesting, though, to figure out what explains the association of infections with "asthma, allergies, cardiometabolic risk factors, and mental disorders".

 

Antibiotic use could also be a function of particular treatment pathways in paediatrics where surgery is risk managed.

My son had huge tonsils and was prone to tonsillitis with quinsy for years and given antibiotics . He also had asthma. Despite querying the logic of this , we were told that He could not have them removed however until he had 3 episodes in the same year - until he turned 16, was no longer classed as pediatric here and after first episode , case history was considered and they were removed .

See also research ( could be Crawley) into use of antibiotics in appendicitis to avoid surgery.

 

This was an issue for me, I had frequent infections and antibiotic treatments when I was young - and I contracted diseases like mumps despite being fully vaccinated.