Effect of infant acid suppressant medication exposure on childhood wheezing and asthma risk

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Created On: 11/10/2023

The aim was to investigate the link between acid suppressant medications (ASM) exposure in infancy and the risk of experiencing repeated wheezing, becoming sensitized to allergens, and developing asthma in early childhood.

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Key take away

Exposing acid suppressant medications during infancy raises the likelihood of developing recurrent wheezing and childhood asthma.

Background

Method

Data was analyzed from a prospective, cohort, diverse, multicenter study that included 921 infants having bronchiolitis history. Infant ASM exposure (including proton pump inhibitors and/or histamine-2 receptor antagonists) was determined through both parental reports and a review of medical records.

The study evaluated outcomes such as recurrent wheezing by age three, allergen sensitization in early childhood (measured by specific IgE levels in the blood), and asthma by age six. To account for various influencing factors, multivariable logistic regression models and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were employed.

Result

Within the cohort of 921 children, 202 (22%) had been exposed to ASM during infancy. In comparison to children who were not exposed to ASM, those who were exposed were highly susceptible to develop recurrent wheezing by age three (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.58) and asthma by age six (adjusted odds ratio: 1.66). However, ASM use during infancy did not show a significant association with allergen sensitization in early childhood (adjusted odds ratio: 1.00).

Conclusion

Although ASM use during infancy does not appear to escalate the risk of allergen sensitization in early childhood, it does raise the risk of recurrent wheezing and asthma during this stage.