BACKGROUND Protective acquired immunity against helminths and allergic sensitisation are both characterised by high IgE antibody levels. Levels of IgE antibodies are naturally tightly regulated by several mechanisms including binding of the CD23 receptor. Following observations that helminth infections and allergic sensitisation may co-present, the current study aims to investigate the relation...

BACKGROUND A farming environment protects against development of asthma, hay fever, and atopic sensitisation in children. We aimed to establish whether increased exposure to microbial compounds has to occur early in life to affect maturation of the immune system and thereby reduces risk for development of allergic diseases. METHODS We did a cross-sectional survey in rural areas of Austria, Ge...

BACKGROUND Central sensitisation entails several top-down and bottom-up mechanisms, all contributing to the hyperresponsiveness of the central nervous system to a variety of inputs. In the late nineties, it was first hypothesised that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterised by hypersensitivity of the central nervous system (i.e. central sensitisation). Since then, several studies have e...

BACKGROUND It is still a matter of debate whether there is an association between infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and allergy. Previously, we have shown higher levels of specific IgE to different inhalant allergens and total IgE in tuberculosis (TB) patients compared to controls. The objectives of this study were to evaluate a possible change in allergic sensitisatio...

BACKGROUND Atopy is known to play an important role in the asthmatic disease. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of sensitisation to common aeroallergens in a cohort of asthmatics with different inflammatory phenotypes and disease severity. METHODS We have conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study including 772 asthmatics recruited between 2003 and 2014 in ou...

BACKGROUND Although asthma is strongly associated with immediate hypersensitivity to indoor allergens, several studies have suggested that a cat in the house can decrease the risk of asthma. We investigated the immune response to cat and mite allergens, and asthma among children with a wide range of allergen exposure. METHODS We did a population-based cross-sectional study of children (aged 1...

BACKGROUND Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases the risk of respiratory illness in children but data are inconclusive regarding the risk of IgE sensitisation. OBJECTIVE To elucidate whether exposure to smoking prenatally and/or postnatally is related to IgE sensitisation in children at 4 years of age. METHODS As part of a prospective birth cohort study (BAMSE), a total of...

The effect of dog ownership during childhood on the development of allergy has been investigated in few studies with conflicting results. The association between dog contact and indoor endotoxin exposure during infancy and the development of allergic sensitisation and atopic disease up to age 6 yrs was investigated. Two ongoing birth cohorts, the German Infant Nutrition Intervention Programme (...

AIMS To develop a health surveillance strategy with the use of diagnostic and prognostic prediction models to detect and predict occupational allergic diseases efficiently. METHODS Data from laboratory animal workers (n = 351) participating in an ongoing cohort study were used to develop diagnostic and prognostic models with logistic regression analyses. A diagnostic model was developed from ...