Prevalence and associated factors of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in children

Abstract

Allergic disorders are the chronic diseases of greatest pediatric morbidity, affecting over 25 % of the pediatric population. Indeed, this situation has been referred to as an "allergic epidemic". In comparison with asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis have been less extensively investigated, although this does not mean that they should be regarded as minor disorders but rather as alterations that affect the quality of life of the patients and their families, which generate considerable direct and indirect costs. Despite an important research effort, the reason for this allergic epidemic is not well known. These are multifactor disorders without a single causal agent, in which the most important component is the genetic predisposition of the patient (atopy), modulated by environmental factors, exposure to allergens, infections and irritants, among others. A confounding element is the fact that the concept of allergic diseases encompasses phenotypes of rhinitis, atopic dermatitis or asthma in which no IgE-mediated atopic mechanism is demonstrated, and which can manifest in a way similar to true allergic phenotypes. Differentiation between the two is difficult to establish on the basis of self-administered questionnaires alone, in the absence of a precise etiological diagnosis. The present article reviews the numerous factors suggested to be responsible for the increase in allergic diseases recorded in the last few decades, and for the differences in prevalence observed among centres. For most of these factors the results published in the literature are contradictory, in some cases due to a lack of control of the associated interacting or confounding factors. Consensus exists for only some of these causal factors, such as the established parallelism between the increase in allergic diseases and the reduction in infectious processes on one hand, and the increase in particles generated by diesel fuel combustion on the other. In addition, the implicated factors could act differently (and in some cases even antagonically) upon atopy and on the different disease phenotypes, thereby complicating the study of these interactions even further.

Foxo Transcription Factors Control Regulatory T Cell Development and Function

“…The rate of autoimmune and hypersensitivity diseases in human beings is on the order of 3–20% of the adult population, respectively (Cooper and Stroehla, 2003; Torres-Borrego et al, 2008), and this implies that, at least in modern society, a loss of immune regulation is common. With respect to autoimmunity mediated by the adaptive immune system, there are at least three mechanisms that moderate self-reactivity.…”

The Trend of Change of Allergic Diseases over the Years: Three Repeated Surveys from 1994 to 2014

“…This variation cannot be explained solely with genetic factors. Genetic and geographical factors and interaction between changes in life and nutrition styles are also influential [19,21,22,23]. It has also been reported that this variation does not occur at the same rate when the allergic diseases are evaluated separately.…”

Association between environmental factors and current asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema symptoms in school-aged children from Oropeza Province – Bolivia: a cross-sectional study

“…The prevalence of these diseases has considerably increased worldwide in recent years, especially in some regions of Latin America [3-5]. The causes of this increase are not fully understood, some hypotheses are related to changes in lifestyle and environmental and domestic factors [6,7] that interact with the immune system in early stages of life [8]. …”