Antibiotic use but not gastrointestinal infection frequently precedes first diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal disorders

Abstract

While the etiopathogenesis of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) is not completely understood, alterations of the intestinal microbiome have been observed. Antibiotics can induce dysbiosis, but whether antibiotics are a risk factor for the onset of FGIDs is uncertain. Antibiotics have been reported as both a risk factor for new onset FGID but also as a therapy for existing FGID. This study aimed to estimate the fraction of cases where antibiotics provoked the onset of FGID.