RECURRENT USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN YOUNG CHILDREN

J. Mertsola, K. Louhi, M. Sillanpהה, H. Helenius, A. Ojanlatva, P. Rautava

Department of Public Health., Department of Child Neurology., Department of Biostatistics., Turku, Finland

In an unselected population-based study setting the parents expecting their first baby were followed during the pregnancy and after the birth of child until the child was 18 months of age. There were 817 nulliparous pregnant women and their spouses in this study. The outcome measure in children was the number of courses of antibiotics during the first 18 months and the predictive variables were: medical, behavioral, emotional and social factors in a family during pregnancy.

Results. Regular medication for long term disease of the father (OR 13, 95%CI 2.4-68) and several long-term diseases of the mother (OR 9.7, 95%CI 2.5-37) were associated with the recurrent use of antibiotics of the child. The main statistically significant factors on multivariate analysis were: mother’s opinion about changes for the worse in the sexual relationship between the spouses during pregnancy, mother’s opinion that the attitudes of her parents towards the expected baby will be negative and the disapperance of the father during the late stage of the delivery . Comments. Our study indicates that parental morbidity, intergenerational and poor parental relationships during pregnancy are associated with the recurrent use of antibiotics during the first 18 months of the child.