Babies given antibiotics before they are six months old are up to 70 per cent more likely to develop asthma later in childhood, according to a study.  Researchers found that infants treated with the drugs faced a 40 per cent rise in risks of the incurable condition if they were prescribed a single course of treatment in the first few months of life.  The danger increases by 70 per cent if they were given a second batch of drugs for hard-to-treat infections.

The findings from Yale University concluded that there is a strong link, even after allowing for other factors that might explain why some children go on to get asthma, such as a family history of the disease.  The researchers blamed the drugs for upsetting the balance of protective microbes in a baby’s gut which help to ward of illness in the early stages of life.