Antibiotic use and inflammatory bowel diseases in childhood

Antibiotic use is common in childhood and its potential as an environmental risk factor for IBD warrants scrutiny. This is the first prospective study to show a strong association between antibiotic use and CD in childhood. However, as with any observational study, causality cannot be inferred from our results and confounding by indication--in particular, prescribing of antibiotics to children with intestinal symptoms of as yet undiagnosed CD--should also be considered as a possible explanation.