Eczema in Babies Due to Stress in Pregnancy
GENEVA and ZURICH, June 15, 2012/PRNewswire/ --
Latest allergy research presented at world's leading Congress on
Allergy and
Immunology in Geneva (EAACI Congress 2012)
- 47% of atopic eczema in babies occur due to
stress during pregnancy
- Up to 40% of Europeans suffer from hay
fever
- Top 3 European allergens: grass, birch,
olive
- Pollen differs by "nationality": 4-5 fold
differences in pollen potency
between European countries
- Asthma and rhinitis stress Public Health in
Europe
Ground-breaking research results about stress during pregnancy and
changes in pollen potency across Europe will be presented - among
other novel research - at the world's leading congress on allergy
and immunology - the EAACI Congress 2012 - that will open tomorrow
in Geneva, Switzerland.
Maternal anxiety during pregnancy is a risk factor for the onset of
infantile atopic eczema at the age of 6-8 months. Researchers at
the National Center for Child Health and Development, Allergy
Division in Tokyo, Japan, have come to this conclusion after
analysing data from 896 pairs of mothers and children (474 boys and
422 girls) that will be presented for the first time at the EAACI
Congress 2012.
"18.75% of mothers were classified into the highest anxiety group,
62.39% of mothers showed moderate anxiety and 18.86% of mothers
were categorised into the lowest anxiety group", explains Dr. Mana
Hamaguchi, Clinical Psychologist at the National Center for Child
Health and Development. The average prevalence of atopic eczema was
46.76%. The tests showed that children of mothers with higher
anxiety scores were more likely to be affected by eczema. The
conclusion is that mothers suffering from anxiety during pregnancy
have a higher risk of their children developing eczema at the age
of 6-8 months.
Pollen potency shows 4-5 fold differences between European
countries on average
The results of the Health Impacts of Airborne Allergen Information
Network (HIALINE project) will also be presented at the EAACI
Congress 2012. Researchers from across Europe have investigated the
allergic potential of pollens from the three main triggers of hay
fever in Europe: birch, grass and olive.
"At all locations in Europe we found a significant correlation
between amount of allergen in the air and pollen counts. However,
the allergenicity, the aggressiveness in popular terms, of the
pollens varies greatly across Europe, by day, year and location",
explains Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters, Toxicologist and Molecular
Biologist from the University of Munich and member of the EAACI
Aerobiology & Pollution Interest Group.
When comparing locations, grass pollen showed the largest
variability across Europe with France having the highest yearly
average grass pollen potency, 7-fold higher than Portugal. For
birch pollen the yearly average pollen potency was comparable
between locations, but still varied more than 2-fold. Olive pollen
from two locations 400km apart varied 4-fold in their allergen
release potency. In Portugal there were occasions when pollen from
Spain released much more allergens than the "local" pollen. So
Spanish pollen was responsible for triggering allergic reactions in
Portugal.
Atmospheric transport may lead to allergies in previously
unaffected regions
The conclusion: Allergic reactions like hay fever do not simply
depend on pollen, but on the amount of allergens these pollen
carry, and that varies more than 10-fold between days, locations,
and years. Atmospheric transport of high potency pollen to
locations that normally have a lower allergen exposure can lead to
sudden increases in the number of people suffering from allergies.
Changes in atmospheric transport or climate in general may result
in patients being affected by allergies where they were previously
unaffected.
Asthma and rhinitis stress Public Health in Europe
Asthma and rhinitis are the most common chronic diseases in
childhood. Up to one in three children suffer from these conditions
and up to 15% of these have severe disease; direct and indirect
costs may reach over EUR100 billion yearly. Measures to prevent or
stop the progression of these allergic diseases will have a major
impact on the quality of life of Europeans and on Public Health. As
there is a strong need to promote allergic diseases as health
priorities in the EU and beyond, representatives from different
organisations, including Elisabetta Gardini, member of the European
Parliament, will discuss the next steps in fighting chronic
respiratory diseases. This discussion will take place during the
live streamed symposium
[http://livevideo.infomaniak.com/iframe.php?stream=650kb&name=eaacci&player=993
] "EU Health Priorities: Political and Research Agenda" (Monday
10:45 - 12:15).
EAACI President Prof. Cezmi Akdis: "We need to contain the allergy
epidemic"
For these matters, EAACI calls for more research support to fight
chronic respiratory diseases. Prof. Cezmi Akdis, President of
EAACI, calls for action: "If the allergy epidemic is to be
contained or reversed, systematic and persistent research efforts
are needed. It is very important to understand the mechanisms of
the disease but real-life disease surveillance through registries
can provide crucial information for its management. Novel
diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and immunotherapy should be
brought to the bedside through large clinical trials."
Prof. Akdis also draws attention to research for the development of
novel ways of prevention, "because every year 2 million new people
develop some kind of allergic disease in Europe", he added.
EAACI Launches Patient Organisation Committee in Geneva
The Academy is embracing the work of patient support organisations
from all over the world. More than 25 country representatives from
across Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia,
Australia, and New Zealand are involved in this initiative. The
Patient Organisation Committee will work within the EAACI platform
with opinion leaders to develop better management, education,
access to care, and increased safety and quality of life for
individuals with allergy and their carers. The development of
global minimum standards of care will assist individuals with
allergy worldwide.
About EAACI, The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology
The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, is
a non-profit organisation active in the field of allergic and
immunologic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational
allergy, food and drug allergy and anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded
in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest medical association
in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. It
includes over 7,400 members from 121 countries, as well as 42
National Allergy Societies.
Available in French, Italian, Spanish and German at http://www.eaaci2012.com
For more information, please contact:
Macarena Guillamon - EAACI Headquarters
Macarena.guillamon@eaaci.org
Tel: +41-44-2055-535
Mobile: +41-79-8928-225
Maria Diviney - Shepard Fox
Communications
maria.diviney@shepard-fox.com
Tel: +33-95-045-7168
Mobile: +33-66-620-6462
Source: EAACI - European Academy of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology
Posted: June 2012
