Taking antibiotics may increase a teen's risk of developing arthritis, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Rutgers University found that children who were prescribed antibiotics had twice the risk of developing arthritis compared to children who were not prescribed the medication. They also found that the more antibiotics prescribed raised the associated risk, Reliawire reported.

"This risk was greatest within a year of receiving antibiotics and increased with the number of antibiotic courses children were prescribed," Dr. Daniel Horton, lead author of the study, told HealthDay.

This disorder involves chronic inflammation of the joints and eyes that can lead to pain, vision loss, and disability. Genetics explains only why about one quarter of children develop arthritis, which means environmental triggers may also play an important role in the onset of disease. According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 4,300 and 9,700 children under the age of 16 years old are diagnosed with juvenile arthritis a year.

Previous studies have shown that about a quarter of antibiotics prescribed to children -- and half of antibiotics prescribed for acute respiratory infections -- are probably unnecessary.

"Our research suggests another possible reason to avoid antibiotic overuse for infections that would otherwise get better on their own," Daniel Horton, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

For the current study, Horton and his colleagues analyzed data from roughly 450,000 children across the United Kingdom. They used this information to compare children with newly diagnosed juvenile arthritis with age and gender-matched control subjects.

After adjusting for other autoimmune conditions and previous infection, children who received prescriptions for antibiotics had an increased risk for developing juvenile arthritis.

In their analysis, researchers also found that upper respiratory tract infections treated with antibiotics were more strongly associated with juvenile arthritis than untreated upper respiratory tract infections.

"This is an extremely important clue about the etiology of this serious and potentially crippling disease. If confirmed, it also provides a means for preventing it," said Brian Strom, senior author on the study.

The findings are detailed in the journal Pediatrics.