Asthma and allergic diseases have increased worldwide; however, etilogic factors for this increase are still poor. Prenatal consumptions of fatty acids are hypothesized, although few clinical trials in developing countries have been performed. This study was designed to identify predictors of immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in cord blood of Mexican newborns. Total IgE was measured in umbilical cord blood from 613 infants whose mothers participated in a double-blind randomized controlled trial of 400 mg of docosahexaenoic acid or placebo from 18 to 22 weeks gestation through delivery. During pregnancy, information on sociodemographic characteristics, environmental exposures, and perceived maternal stress were obtained; a maternal blood sample was also collected to determine atopy via specific IgE levels. Logistic regression models were used to identify the main prenatal predictors of detectable total IgE levels in cord blood. IgE was detectable in cord blood from 344 (53.7%) infants; the main predictors in multivariate analyses were maternal atopy (odds ratio [OR] = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.19-2.42; p < 0.05) and pesticide use in the home (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.04-2.14; p < 0.05). When stratified by maternal atopy, season of birth was a significant predictor in the atopic group only (OR = 2.48; 95% CI, 1.00-6.16; p < 0.05), and pesticide use was a significant predictor for infants born to nonatopic mothers (OR = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07-2.51; p < 0.05). No differences were seen in the proportion of infants with detectable IgE by treatment group. Prenatal supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid did not alter the detectable cord blood IgE levels. Maternal atopy and pesticide use during pregnancy are strong predictors of cord blood IgE levels in newborns. Clinical trial NCT00646360, www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Introduction: Allergic diseases affect more than 350 million people in the world and the identification of genetic and environmental factors that predict IgE levels in cord blood might help in the early detection of atopic disorders in infants. Objective: To identify predictors of levels of IgE in umbilical cord blood of newborns whose mothers were supplemented with n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 PUFA) during pregnancy. Methods: Mothers were randomly assigned to receive daily supplement of 400 mg of DHA or placebo from week 18−22 until childbirth and IgE in umbilical cord blood (CB) samples were determined. An environmental exposure questionnaire was applied during pregnancy (n=428) and specific IgE levels in maternal blood samples were measured. We ran logistic regression models to identify the main predictors of the concentrations of total CB IgE. Results: Use of insecticide in home (OR= 2.08, 95CI% 1.19, 3.63), maternal atopy (specific IgE levels, OR=1.55, 95CI% 1.00, 2.40) and being born in winter vs summer (OR= 1.76 95CI% 1.03, 3.01) were the most important predictors of IgE levels at limited detection of >= 0.1 IU / ml. There was no clear indication of a relation between supplement group and CB IgE levels.
Conclusions:The main predictors of total CB IgE levels were mother atopy and use of insecticide at home. This abstract is funded by: CDC funding.
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