Maternal omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may decrease the risk of food allergy and IgE-associated eczema during the first year of life in infants with a family history of allergic disease.

, Allergic disease in infants up to 2 yr of age in relation to plasma omega-3 fatty acids and maternal fish oil supplementation inpregnancy and lactation, 2011, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, (22) Pediatr Allergy Immunol. AbstractBackground: We have previously reported a protective effect of maternal omega-3 long chain

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All previously published papers were reproduced with permission from the publisher. ABSTRACT AimThe over-arching aim of this thesis was to study some metabolic functions of the gut microflora in children with known or screening detected celiac disease (CD) and their first-degree relatives. Materials Study I. A number of 36 untreated CD children, 47 after at least 3 months on glutenfree diet (GFD) and 42 healthy controls (HC). Study II. A number of 76 first-degree relatives to CD children and 93 healthy controls (HC). Study III. A number of 17 screening detected CD children were included to be compared with the untreated children and controls from study I; with exchange of one child in the untreated group, due to low age. Study IV. A comparative study regarding correlation between iso-forms of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in humans as well as in animals. Methods Faecal short chain fatty acids were measured in all four studies. Additionally faecal tryptic activity (FTA) was measured in study II. Major findingsAll groups of CD children demonstrated a similar SCFAs profile, i.e. significantly more total SCFAs and acetic acid and a strong tendency to more iso-butyric and iso-valeric acids compared with HC. The first-degree relatives demonstrated another SCFAs profile, i.e. significantly less total SCFAs and acetic acid and significantly more FTA than HC. Conclusions and future outlookBased upon the strong similarities between all groups of CD children we are allowing ourselves hypothesising that CD children have a "celiacogenic" flora compared with healthy controls. In a similar way it can be said that the first-degree relatives are harbouring a "celiacprotective" microflora. Our findings open up for challenging new diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic possibilities.

The high prevalence of CD among first-degree relatives of coeliac patients (8.3% in this study) supports the need to screen for CD in this high-risk population. Even relatives with only mild enteropathy should be followed carefully, since some may subsequently develop CD.

Infant feeding history was investigated in 72 celiac and 288 age-matched reference children in a retrospective questionnaire study. The reply rate was 100% in celiac and 91.6% in reference children. The celiac children were breast-fed for a significantly shorter time than reference children, and they were less often breast-fed at the introduction of gluten. The age of the children at gluten introduction was similar, but the celiac children were significantly more often introduced by a gluten-containing follow-up formula, while the reference children more often started on a gluten-containing porridge. The results can be interpreted in two ways. First, it could be argued that breast milk per se protects against symptoms of celiac disease in childhood. It could, however, also be claimed that breast-feeding merely modulates the gluten introduction, causing a less abrupt introduction of gluten in the baby diet and thereby fewer overt symptoms of the disease.

Aim. To examine how celiac children and adolescents on gluten-free diet valued their health-related quality of life, and if age and severity of the disease at onset affected the children’s self-valuation later in life. We also assessed the parents’ valuation of their child’s quality of life.Methods. The DISABKIDS Chronic generic measure, short versions for both children and parents, was used on 160 families with celiac disease. A paediatric gastroenterologist classified manifestations of the disease at onset retrospectively.Results. Age or sex did not influence the outcome. Children diagnosed before the age of five scored higher than children diagnosed later. Children diagnosed more than eight years ago scored higher than more recently diagnosed children, and children who had the classical symptoms of the disease at onset scored higher than those who had atypical symptoms or were asymptomatic. The parents valuated their children’s quality of life as lower than the children did.Conclusion. Health-related quality of life in treated celiac children and adolescents was influenced by age at diagnosis, disease severity at onset, and years on gluten-free diet. The disagreement between child-parent valuations highlights the importance of letting the children themselves be heard about their perceived quality of life.

This study indicates that, in parallel to changes in incidence, clinical features of coeliac disease in young children have changed during the last 10 years.