Heterogeneity in Disease Resistance and the Impact of Antibiotics in the US

Justin Cook () and Jason Fletcher

No 30269, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We hypothesize that the impact of antibiotics is moderated by a population’s inherent (genetic) resistance to infectious disease. Using the introduction of sulfa drugs in 1937, we show that US states that are more genetically susceptible to infectious disease saw larger declines in their bacterial mortality rates following the introduction of sulfa drugs in 1937. This suggests area-level genetic endowments of disease resistance and the discovery of medical technologies have acted as substitutes in determining levels of health across the US. We also document immediate effects of sulfa drug exposure to the age of the workforce and cumulative effects on educational attainment for cohorts exposed to sulfa drugs in early life.

JEL-codes: I1 I14 I15 J1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-his and nep-lab
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Published as C. Justin Cook & Jason M. Fletcher, 2022. "Heterogeneity in disease resistance and the impact of antibiotics in the US.," Economics & Human Biology, .

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