Development of atopy and asthma: candidate environmental influences and important periods of exposure.
Atopy is a major risk factor for the development of asthma. Immune processes that lead to the development of antigen-specific IgE are essential to the development of atopy. This review examines the immune processes that are candidate targets for modulation by environmental agents; environmental and lifestyle factors that have been suggested as modulators of the development of atopy; and the impact of known environmental agents on atopic processes in the airway. The most important periods of immune development with regard to expression of atopy are likely during gestation and early childhood. A better understanding of which environmental agents are important, as well as the period of life during which these agents may exert an important effect, is essential to devising rational environmental avoidance strategies for at-risk populations.
Peden
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DB
Department of Pediatrics and The Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, The School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. peden@med.unc.edu
D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines; D004785:Environmental Pollutants