Excessive antibiotic use may increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new study.

Professors Lee Chang-gyun, Kim Hyo-jong, and Oh Shin-joo from the Department of Gastroenterology at Kyung Hee University Hospital analyzed data on patients with inflammatory bowel disease using data from the National Health Insurance Service, the researchers said on Wednesday.

The researchers compared 68,633 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and 343,165 in the control group from 2004 to 2018 to analyze the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease according to antibiotic use.

The results showed an about 24 percent increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease in people who took antibiotics two to five years before diagnosis. Antibiotic use up to nine years before diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. And the higher the risk, the larger the dose of antibiotics.

“As Korea is a country with a high rate of antibiotic use, there is a need to fully recognize the risks of antibiotic misuse and change attitudes toward indiscriminate use,” Professor Lee said. “This study is significant as the first large population-based study of its kind in Asia.”

The study was published in the May issue of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.