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Background: Antibiotic exposure has been reported as a risk factor for the development of ulcerative colitis; however, the clinical results were controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of antibiotic exposure with the new onset of UC.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search for relevant studies published up to February 2024, exploring the association between antibiotic exposure and new-onset UC, was performed by using Medline and Embase, and the statistical analysis was conducted by using the Stata software.
Results: A total of 16 articles were included in the study, including 12 case-control studies and 4 cohort studies. The pooled analysis revealed that antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of new-onset UC (summary OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.26 - 1.31). Subgroup analyses showed that both case-control studies and cohort studies have yielded consistent conclusions.
Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that antibiotic exposure is a risk factor for the development of UC. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid unnecessary and excessive use of antibiotics.
DOI: DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2024.240312
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