# \[e-drug\] Asthma associated with early antibiotic use (cont'd) **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [October 6, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-asthma-associated-with-early-antibiotic-use-contd/17814 "2003-10-06T13:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wong\_Wai\_See1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@Wong\_Wai\_See1](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Wong_Wai_See1)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-asthma-associated-with-early-antibiotic-use-contd/17814/1 "2003-10-06T13:13:52Z")
E-drug: Asthma associated with early antibiotic use (cont'd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear E-druggers, This is indeed interesting and reading it reminded me of something published in the BMJ a few years ago: Howarth, PH. ABC of allergies - Pathogenic mechanisms: a rational basis of treatment. BMJ 1998; 316: 758-761. In the article, the pathogenesis of allergic disorders and asthma was explained as being largely related to cytokines and other mediators; some of which are produced by lymphocytes through a whole cascade of events (I would suggest to read the above reference for a much better explanation than what I can offer or elucidate here). In the article, the hypothesis was made that the increase in allergic disorders in the last few decades was due to a decrease in severe infections in early infancy over the same period of time, and an interaction between allergens and atmospheric pollution that potentiates the tendency to sensitisation. Simply - having early childhood infection would drive a T-helper cell subtype 1 (which is anti-inflammatory) response and thus down regulate the tendency for T-helper cell subtype 2 response (which is pro-inflammatory) and hence related to do disease development. Thus, if antibiotics are given early in life, infections would have been curbed and the next progression more pro-inflammatory mediators would be produced, leading to allergic disorder. Wong Wai See Senior Pharmacist Hospital Pharmacy Services Section Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam e-mail: ycwong@brunet.bn -- To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@healthnet.org To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@healthnet.org Information and archives: [http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug](http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug)