Is the “farm effect” hypothesis still current? Atopy and allergic diseases in rural and urban children in Poland

Mazur, A.I.; Szylling, Anna; Bielecka, Teresa; Strzelak, Agnieszka; Kulus, Marek

doi:10.1080/02770903.2017.1400046

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…34 Even within Poland, differences were noted: in urban environments children were increasingly sensitized to tree pollen, grass, corn, weeds, and animals. 35 A similar gradient was observed between the city of Montreal and Prince Edward Island as a rural region of Canada. 36 The overall gradient in sensitization between Finland and Estonia observed in this study fits well into this picture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Development of atopic sensitization in Finnish and Estonian children: A latent class analysis in a multicenter cohort

Schmidt¹,

Hose

Mueller-Rompa³

et al. 2019

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The prevalence of atopy is associated with a Western lifestyle, as shown by studies comparing neighboring regions with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Atopy might reflect various conditions differing in their susceptibility to environmental factors. Objective: We sought to define phenotypes of atopic sensitization in early childhood and examine their association with allergic diseases and hereditary background in Finland and Estonia. Methods: The analysis included 1603 Finnish and 1657 Estonian children from the DIABIMMUNE multicenter young children cohort. Specific IgE levels were measured at age 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively, and categorized into 3 CAP classes. Latent class analysis was performed with the statistical software package poLCA in R software. Results: Both populations differed in terms of socioeconomic status and environmental determinants, such as pet ownership, farm-related exposure, time spent playing outdoors, and prevalence of allergic diseases (all P < .001). Nevertheless, we found similar latent classes in both populations: an unsensitized class, a food class, 2 inhalant classes differentiating between seasonal and perennial aeroallergens, and a severe atopy class. The latter was characterized by high total and specific IgE levels and strongly associated with wheeze (odds ratio [OR], 5.64 [95% CI, 3.07-10.52] and 4.56 [95% CI, 2.35-8.52]), allergic rhinitis (OR, 22.4 [95% CI, 11.67-44.54] and 13.97 [95% CI, 7.33-26.4]), and atopic eczema (OR, 9.39 [95% CI, 4.9-19.3] and 9.5 [95% CI, 5.2-17.5] for Finland and Estonia, respectively). Environmental differences were reflected in the larger seasonal inhalant atopy class in Finland, although composition of classes was comparable between countries. Conclusion: Despite profound differences in environmental exposures, there might exist genuine patterns of atopic sensitization. The distribution of these patterns might determine the contribution of atopic sensitization to disease onset. (J

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Development of atopic sensitization in Finnish and Estonian children: A latent class analysis in a multicenter cohort

Schmidt¹,

Hose

Mueller-Rompa³

et al. 2019

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…pteronyssinus rises to 16% ( Fig 3 ). It rivals with the percentage of senior schoolchildren showing reaction to dust mites or their main recombinant components in some other European countries, for example, France (9,79% - 26,88% depending on the city [ 31 ]) and Poland (18% [ 32 ]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of sensitization to inhalant and food allergens among pediatric patients from the Moscow region (Russian Federation)

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The immunological profiles of human specific IgE (sIgE) and specific IgG4 (sIgG4) vary by genetic predisposition, living conditions in different geographical locations and patient’s age. The aim of our study was to analyze sIgE and sIgG4 patterns and their age-dependent changes in patients from the Moscow region. For identifying sIgE and sIgG4 profiles the blood samples from 513 patients aged 6 months to 17 years who were showing symptoms of allergic diseases were analyzed using microarrays containing 31 allergens. The highest sIgE prevalence was observed for birch pollen (32%) among pollen allergens, cat dander (24%) among indoor allergens, and egg whites (21%) among food allergens. The most common sIgG4 response was developed toward egg whites (80% of patients). Age-related elevation was identified for patients with increased sIgE to pollen allergens and indoor allergens (cat or dog dander and house dust mites). For each allergen, the proportion of cases with significant levels of sIgG4 appeared to increase with patients’ age. The data on allergen-specific sIgE and sIgG4 prevalence show both general trends and some local special aspects that are indicative for the Moscow region. This information should be useful in terms of epidemiology of allergic diseases.

show abstract

“…According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 10 kids in the United States will suffer from asthma and 1 in 4 suffer from some type of allergic disorder in Europe (8), leading some to label allergy as an epidemic (9). Even within countries from different continents, higher incidences of hypersensitivity disorders can be observed in urban compared to rural environments (10)(11)(12). Given the rapid increase in hypersensitivity disorders in the latter half the twentieth century, public commentary and interest in the connection between hygiene and hypersensitivity has not waned (13).…”

Section: What Is the Hygiene Hypothesis?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Training the Fetal Immune System Through Maternal Inflammation—A Layered Hygiene Hypothesis

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over the last century, the alarming surge in allergy and autoimmune disease has led to the hypothesis that decreasing exposure to microbes, which has accompanied industrialization and modern life in the Western world, has fundamentally altered the immune response. In its current iteration, the "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that reduced microbial exposures during early life restricts the production and differentiation of immune cells suited for immune regulation. Although it is now well-appreciated that the increase in hypersensitivity disorders represents a "perfect storm" of many contributing factors, we argue here that two important considerations have rarely been explored. First, the window of microbial exposure that impacts immune development is not limited to early childhood, but likely extends into the womb. Second, restricted microbial interactions by an expectant mother will bias the fetal immune system toward hypersensitivity. Here, we extend this discussion to hypothesize that the cell types sensing microbial exposures include fetal hematopoietic stem cells, which drive long-lasting changes to immunity.

show abstract

Is the “farm effect” hypothesis still current? Atopy and allergic diseases in rural and urban children in Poland

Abstract: Our data support the protective effect of farm-living on the prevalence of atopy and overall allergic diseases, albeit not on particular allergic diseases, in children in Poland. The underlying mechanisms are not identified, but current socioeconomic changes may be responsible.

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Development of atopic sensitization in Finnish and Estonian children: A latent class analysis in a multicenter cohort

Development of atopic sensitization in Finnish and Estonian children: A latent class analysis in a multicenter cohort

Patterns of sensitization to inhalant and food allergens among pediatric patients from the Moscow region (Russian Federation)

Training the Fetal Immune System Through Maternal Inflammation—A Layered Hygiene Hypothesis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About