Breastfeeding, atopy, and asthma

Breastfeeding, atopy, and asthma.

Asthma and atopy

F emale sex hormones seem to have something to do with asthma and allergy. You might think this is a bit vague, but the research on this so far doesn’t merit anything stronger. Women of reproductive age are more likely to be admitted to hospital for asthma than men. Intrigued by this, people have studied the link between asthma or allergy and markers of female sex hormone levels—for example, ti...

Atopy and Asthma

Atopy is the genetic propensity to develop an immunoglobulin E antibody response to common allergens. The most common clinical manifestations of atopy are allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis. Asthma is a complex disorder of the airways, involving airway hyperresponsiveness, airflow obstruction that is at least partially reversible, and inflammation of the airways. Although atopy has...

The role of breastfeeding, diet and nutritional status in the development of asthma and atopy.

In many populations, the prevalence of asthma and atopy has increased in recent years. As a result, both conditions have become major public health problems. The possible influence of nutrition-related factors has been demonstrated in an increasing number of studies. Information regarding the role of breastfeeding, diet, nutritional status (obesity in particular), as well as regarding the immun...

The effects of respiratory infections, atopy, and breastfeeding on childhood asthma.

The objectives of the present study were to quantify the association of atopy and respiratory infections with asthma, and exclusive breastfeeding with respiratory illness, atopy and asthma in children. A cohort study of 2,602 children enrolled prior to birth and followed prospectively, provided data on respiratory illness, the method of feeding in the first year of life, as reported on a prospe...