ROLE OF INFECTIONS AND ANTIBIOTICS IN DEVELOPMENT AND TREATMENT OF ASTHMA

Abstract

Over the last 30 years the prevalence of asthma and other atopic diseases has increased threatingly all over the world. Another major public health problem is the increasing unnecessary prescription of antibiotics especially in children for treatment of viral or insignificant bacterial infections. There appears to be more and more supportive evidence that increasing use of antibiotics and reduced exposure to bacterial infections in early childhood may lead to the increasing development of asthma and other atopic diseases. Respiratory infections in early childhood, particularly bacterial infections, may protect against atopy. Later on bacterial infections may actually cause asthma or provoke asthma attacks, so must be adequately treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics for asthma patients must not be prescribed routinely. Antibiotics should be given only to those asthma patients with clinical, biological and/or radiological signs of bacterial infection.