Scientists from NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that the more antibiotics that seniors take, the greater their risk of inflammatory bowel disease.
The results may help explain why some older people have an increased risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (common types of IBD).
The research was presented at the Digestive Disease Week meeting and was conducted by Dr. Adam Faye et al.
In the study, the team suggests that in older adults, environmental factors are more important than genetics in the development of inflammatory bowel disease.
They analyzed prescribing records for 2.3 million adults aged 60 and older in Denmark who was newly diagnosed with IBD from 2000 to 2018.
The team found a link between any antibiotic use and higher rates of IBD, and the risk rose significantly with each course of antibiotics.
The findings showed that compared to those with no antibiotic use in the previous five years, one course of antibiotics was linked to a 27% higher risk of a new IBD diagnosis, two courses with a 55% higher risk and three courses with a 67% higher risk.
Four courses were tied to a 96% higher risk, and five or more courses with a 236% higher risk.
People who’d taken antibiotics within the previous one or two years had the highest rates of new IBD diagnoses, but the risk remained high for those who took the drugs in the previous two to five years.
The researchers found that the increased risk of IBD was seen for all types of antibiotics except nitrofurantoin, which is commonly prescribed for urinary tract infections.
Antibiotics typically prescribed for gut infections were the most likely to be linked to a new IBD diagnosis.
The team says that doctors should consider IBD when seeing older adults with new gastrointestinal symptoms, especially if they have a history of antibiotic use.
The study also highlights the need for cautious use of antibiotics to prevent IBD and antibiotic resistance.
If you care about the gut disease, please read studies about common gut disease linked to early death risk, and a healthy gut builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies that your vitamin D level may affect your gut health, and results showing this high blood pressure drug may harm your gut health.
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