Allergy prevention: interventions during pregnancy and early infancy.

摘要

The increase in allergic disease in western, industrialized countries has been phenomenal.Although the reasons for this increase are unknown, it is clear that the primary managementof allergies is prevention. There is now significant epidemiologic data suggesting that a programdesigned and focused on prevention will have a significant impact on the developmentof allergies. These include not only environmental, but also dietary restrictions. There remain,however, several major problems. Firstly, it is not clear which subjects will respond best to aprogram focusing on either pre-or postnatal prevention. Secondly, the immunological mechanismsinvolved remain unclear. For example, it would be highly desirable to have a readoutthat monitors the improvement in allergen avoidance, other than clinical response. This reviewwill focus on the immunological background of allergy prevention, including epidemiologicobservations and thoughts for future potential allergy prevention.