A study by Professor Harald Renz of the University of Marburg, Germany, presented at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) congress 2011 in Istanbul, has shown that the risk of allergy to her unborn child will be lowered if a pregnant woman is exposed to a diverse range of common allergens. The hygiene hypothesis, which states that raising a child in a sterile environment increases the risk of allergy, has been talked about for a long time, but the notion that environmental influences start before the child is born, in fact from early pregnancy, is new.

Professor Renz used a farm for the study, where the diverse range of microbes confers a degree of asthma protection. If a pregnant woman is exposed to microbes from cows and stables, an immune response is initiated in her airways, which in turn means an immune response is initiated in utero. From out of this, rather than suggesting everyone should live on a farm, Professor Renz suggests an asthma vaccine could be made.

As for environmental influences after birth and through life, climate change is altering and extending the pollen season all over the world, which is already having a serious impact on allergy sufferers. Dr Lorenzo Cecchi of the University of Florence, Italy, also presented his research at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) congress 2011 in Istanbul. With the pollen map of Europe altering, the trees are flowering earlier and for longer than they used to be, meaning people also have to take drugs to combat hayfever earlier in the year and for longer, which is more costly for the individual or the national health services.

Allergic diseases have been on the increase, and although their rise has plateaued in developed countries, they’re still increasing in developing countries. The reasons for this could be related to pollen and pollution. The goal for governments is to reduce pollen and pollution. Knowing which plants produce the most problematic pollens, and not planting them, can reduce pollen.

Source: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

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First Published in June 2011

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