title: Dietary prevention of allergic diseases in infants and small children. Part I: immunologic background and criteria for hypoallergenicity.
abstract: The role of primary prevention of allergic diseases has been a matter of debate for the last 40 years. In order to shed some light into this issue, a group of experts of the Section of Pediatrics EAACI critically reviewed the existing literature on the subject. In this paper, the immunology of the fetus and newborn is reviewed as well as the post-natal development of the immune system. The influence of post-natal environment and breastfeeding on tolerance induction and sensitization are examined. Allergic diseases result from a strong relationship between genetic and environmental factors. Sensitization to food allergens occurs in the first year of life and cow's milk allergy is the first food allergy to appear in the susceptible infants. Hypoallergenicity of food formulas to be used is a critical issue both for treatment of cow's milk-allergic children and for prevention. Methods to document hypoallergenicity are discussed and evaluated in the preclinical and clinical steps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muraro
authors.forename: Sten
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dreborg
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halken
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Høst
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Niggemann
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aalberse
authors.forename: Syed H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Arshad
authors.forename: Andrea von
authors.initials: Av
authors.lastname: Berg Av
authors.forename: Kai- Hå kon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carlsen
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duschén
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eigenmann
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mellon
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oldeus
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oranje
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pascual
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Svartengren
authors.forename: Yvan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vandenplas
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wahn
authors.forename: Jill A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wickman
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Zeiger
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004035:Diet Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004282:Documentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy