Children under 1 year of age exposed to allergens will reduce the risk of asthma

(Infants, babies) - Infants who have been exposed to rodent hair and other pets, cockroach allergens and a variety of other bacteria in the first five-year-old habitat will be less likely. Allergy, wheezing and asthma , according to the results of a study published by Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other organizations.

Previous research has shown that children who grow up on farms have lower rates of allergies and asthma rates, a phenomenon that occurs due to regular contact with soil microorganisms. of farms . However, other studies have found that the risk of asthma increases in children living in cities exposed to high levels of waste and allergies to cockroaches and mice.

This new study confirms that children who live in such homes have a higher overall allergy and asthma rate but add a coincidence: Children who experience allergies and asthma like Their pre-birthday first seems to be more beneficial than being influenced by these agents. More importantly, the protective effect of both allergy and bacterial exposure does not occur if the child's first contact with allergens occurs after the child is more than 1 year old.

A report of the study published in the June issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) shows that early exposure to certain bacteria and allergens has They can be protective by forming a baby's immune response - the researchers say, the finding could help inform allergy and wheezing strategies, both of which are signs Protozoan of asthma.

'Our research shows that initial exposure time may be very important,' said the study's lead author, Robert Wood, MD, director of allergy and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. said. 'What this study tells us is that it's not just about our immune responses that have been shaped in the early years, but also shows that some allergens and bacteria play a role. It is important to stimulate and train the immune system to behave in a certain way '.

This study was conducted in 467 infants in Baltimore, Boston, New York and St. Louis. Louis, the health of these babies has been monitored for 3 years. The researchers went to these children's homes to assess the level and type of allergens present in their habitats and to check for allergies and wheezing through routine blood tests and Skin extraction tests, physical tests and parent surveys. In addition, the researchers collected and analyzed the microbial composition of the dust collected from houses of 104 children in 467 children in the study.

Infants who grew up in houses with mouse hair, cat hair and cockroaches in the first year of life had a lower rate of 3-year-old wheezing than those who did not come into contact with these allergens immediately. at birth

Furthermore, the protective effect is a combination , the researchers found, with infants exposed to all three allergens at lower risk than those who had been exposed to one, two or no allergen exposure. Specifically, wheezing is three times more common in children who live in environments that are not exposed to these allergens (51%), compared to the first five-year-old children who have lived in houses. presence of all three types of allergens mentioned above (17%).

In addition, babies living in the home have a diversity of bacteria that appear to be less likely to develop allergies to the environment and wheezing at age 3.

When researchers learned about the cumulative exposure effect for both allergens, bacteria and mice, cockroaches and cats, they noticed a striking difference. Children without wheezing and allergies at the age of 3 have grown up with the highest levels of allergy to substances in their habitat and seem to have lived in houses with the most abundant bacterial species. Approximately 41% of children without allergies and wheezing have grown up in such houses rich in bacteria and allergens. In contrast, only 8% of children with allergies and wheezing are exposed to these substances in the first year of life.

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is affecting about 7 million children in the country. When the child was 3 years old, half of the children had wheezing, many of which developed into asthma.