�Atopy and asthma ar diseases that are known to be caused by
environmental factors and many genes. Since multiple genes and many environmental factors contribute to
disease evolution, one inevitably large groups of asthma patients and
unaffected controls in order to discover which genes and
environmental factors are important.
Dirkje S. Postma (University Medical Center Groningen, the
Netherlands) and his colleagues pooled data from three big Dutch
birth cohorts (PIAMA, PREVASC and KOALA).
This first prospective cohort study shows highly significant and
consistent associations at ages 1, 2, 4 and 8 age between allergic reaction
and the interleukin (IL)13 gene; IL13 is a protein critical in
allergy development.
Also, gene-environmental interactions were found in the pooled
analyses: polymorphisms in CD14 genes were associated with a lower
risk of exposure for atopic allergy at age 4 and 8 years in children who were exposed to
pets, with an opposite effect in non-exposed children.
The successful identification of gene - environment interactions when
pooling data from three well-characterised Dutch birth cohorts
justifies a confident attitude towards future studies that use pooled
data from age bracket studies.
These studies crataegus oxycantha improve insights into type I allergic reaction and bronchial asthma pathogenesis
and open novel avenues for preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Title Of The Original Article
Interleukin 13, CD14, favourite and tobacco smoke influence atopy in three Dutch cohorts: the allergenic study
The European Respiratory Journal is the peer-reviewed scientific publication of the European Respiratory Society (more than than 8,000 specialists in lung diseases and respiratory medicine in Europe, the
United States and Australia).
European Respiratory Journal
The European Respiratory Society (ERS)
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