A butterfly flaps its wings

Prescott, Susan L.

doi:10.1016/j.anai.2020.05.025

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…The epidemic rise in paediatric allergy has been referred to as a 'canary in the coal mine'-an early life indicator that modern environmental changes are adversely affecting early immune development with longer term health implications. 6 However, to extend the metaphor, it is not enough to try and 'resuscitate the canary', without exploring the coal to discover why it 'fell off the perch'. Hence, efforts to improve recognition and management of infant/toddler anaphylaxis should occur alongside efforts to understand the underlying environmental drivers with the goal of reversing these trends by preventing disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the wider significance must also be considered. The epidemic rise in paediatric allergy has been referred to as a ‘canary in the coal mine’—an early life indicator that modern environmental changes are adversely affecting early immune development with longer term health implications 6 . However, to extend the metaphor, it is not enough to try and ‘resuscitate the canary’, without exploring the coal mine to discover why it ‘fell off the perch’.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These factors likely have an influence on the permeability of the mucosal barriers and prime for more inflammatory responses. [4][5][6] The significant increase in childhood allergies appears to be the earliest and most common manifestation of the vulnerability of the immune system to modern environmental change. 7 However, data on anaphylaxis specifically in the 0-2 year age group are sparse, with no recent paediatric emergency department (PED) data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increasing emergency department visits for anaphylaxis in very early childhood: A canary in the coal mine

Rueter

Moseley

et al. 2023

Acta Paediatrica

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AimThe incidence of anaphylaxis is increasing globally in tandem with changing environmental and lifestyle factors. There is very limited data on very early childhood presentations. We aim to assess changes in rates, characteristics and management of infant anaphylaxis in a paediatric ED over a 15‐year period.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of children <2 years of age who presented with verified anaphylaxis comparing cases in years 2003–2007 with those in 2013–2017. Standardised information was collected on demographics, clinical presentation, management and triggers.ResultsManually confirmed anaphylaxis rates in <2 year olds increased from 3.6 to 6.2 per 104 population (OR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.3–2.7; p < 0.001) with the greatest increase in <1 year olds. Anaphylaxis severity increased between 2003–2007 and 2013–2017 (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.2–4.3; p = 0.018). Failure to administer adrenaline was reduced in 2013–2017 (p = 0.007). Food was the leading anaphylaxis trigger (97.85%).ConclusionThis is the first study to suggest an increase in the incidence and severity of ED anaphylaxis presentations in children aged <2 years. Increased awareness of specific characteristics in this age group is required to facilitate timely recognition and optimal management. Further large‐scale studies are warranted to understand underlying environmental drivers and find prevention strategies to reduce the burden of disease.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increasing emergency department visits for anaphylaxis in very early childhood: A canary in the coal mine

Rueter

Moseley

et al. 2023

Acta Paediatrica

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“…These include improvements in immune health ( Li, 2010 ; Rook, 2013 ), mental health ( Birch et al, 2020 ; Callaghan et al, 2020 ), and cardiovascular health ( Yeager et al, 2020 ). In the alternative direction (i.e., spending more time in natural environments which may help to establish more positive attitudes toward microbes), we can hypothesize that our positive attitudes toward microbes could conceivably reduce the likelihood that we carry out mass (non-targeted) sterilization of our local environments, which could also have important implications for our health ( Jun et al, 2018 ; Parks et al, 2020 ; Prescott, 2020 ; Renz and Skevaki, 2020 ). This hypothesis requires further research and would benefit from the collection of data on people’s actions (e.g., related to environmental avoidance and sterilization).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germaphobia! Does Our Relationship With and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect Our Attitudes Toward Microbes?

2021

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Germaphobia – a pathological aversion to microorganisms – could be contributing to an explosion in human immune-related disorders via mass sterilization of surfaces and reduced exposure to biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity and people’s weaker connection to nature, along with poor microbial literacy may be augmenting the negative consequences of germaphobia on ecosystem health. In this study, we created an online questionnaire to acquire data on attitudes toward, and knowledge of microbes. We collected data on nature connectedness and interactions with nature and explored the relationships between these variables. Although the study had an international reach (n = 1,184), the majority of responses came from England, United Kingdom (n = 993). We found a significant association between attitudes toward microbes and both duration and frequency of visits to natural environments. A higher frequency of visits to nature per week, and a longer duration spent in nature per visit, was significantly associated with positive attitudes toward microbes. We found no association between nature connectedness and attitudes toward microbes. We found a significant relationship between knowledge of “lesser known” microbial groups (e.g., identifying that fungi, algae, protozoa, and archaea are microbes) and positive attitudes toward microbes. However, we also found that people who identified viruses as being microbes expressed less positive views of microbes overall–this could potentially be attributed to a “COVID-19 effect.” Our results suggest that basic microbial literacy and nature engagement may be important in reducing/preventing germaphobia-associated attitudes. The results also suggest that a virus-centric phenomenon (e.g., COVID-19) could increase broader germaphobia-associated attitudes. As the rise of immune-related disorders and mental health conditions have been linked to germaphobia, reduced biodiversity, and non-targeted sterilization, our findings point to a feasible strategy to potentially help ameliorate these negative consequences. Further research is needed, but greater emphasis on microbial literacy and promoting time spent in nature could potentially be useful in promoting resilience in human health and more positive/constructive attitudes toward the foundations of our ecosystems—the microorganisms.

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“…This, he argued, diminished reflective thinking, and, by default, various professionals were more concerned with their visual image than the deeper layers of vital discourse; moreover, the fragmented images of showbiz were diminishing the viewers ability to see the interconnectivity of events and systems [48]. This is especially troublesome from a planetary health perspective, which attempts to underscore the causes of the causes and the ways in which various factors, including those may at first glance seem unrelated, are indeed deeply intertwined [49].…”

Section: Developmental Origins Of the Post-truth Era (Dope)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Healing Anthropocene Syndrome: Planetary Health Requires Remediation of the Toxic Post-Truth Environment

Logan¹,

Berman

et al. 2021

Challenges

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The term “Anthropocene Syndrome” describes the wicked interrelated challenges of our time. These include, but are not limited to, unacceptable poverty (of both income and opportunity), grotesque biodiversity losses, climate change, environmental degradation, resource depletion, the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health inequalities, social injustices, the spread of ultra-processed foods, consumerism and incivility in tandem with a diminished emphasis on the greater potential of humankind, efforts toward unity, or the value of fulfilment and flourishing of all humankind. Planetary health is a concept that recognizes the interdependent vitality of all natural and anthropogenic ecosystems—social, political and otherwise; it blurs the artificial lines between health at scales of person, place and planet. Promoting planetary health requires addressing the underlying pathology of “Anthropocene Syndrome” and the deeper value systems and power dynamics that promote its various signs and symptoms. Here, we focus on misinformation as a toxin that maintains the syndromic status quo—rapid dissemination of falsehoods and dark conspiracies on social media, fake news, alternative facts and medical misinformation described by the World Health Organization as an “infodemic”. In the context of planetary health, we explore the historical antecedents of this “infodemic” and underscore an urgent need to remediate the misinformation mess. It is our contention that education (especially in early life) emphasizing mindfulness and understanding of the mechanisms by which propaganda is spread (and unhealthy products are marketed) is essential. We expand the discourse on positive social contagion and argue that empowerment through education can help lead to an information transformation with the aim of flourishing along every link in the person, place and planet continuum.

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A butterfly flaps its wings

Cited by 17 publications

References 90 publications

Increasing emergency department visits for anaphylaxis in very early childhood: A canary in the coal mine

Increasing emergency department visits for anaphylaxis in very early childhood: A canary in the coal mine

Germaphobia! Does Our Relationship With and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect Our Attitudes Toward Microbes?

Healing Anthropocene Syndrome: Planetary Health Requires Remediation of the Toxic Post-Truth Environment

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