Pulmonary symptoms were reduced after 12 months in actively treated asthmatics, but this was not consistent with the lack of improvement in bronchial reactivity, skin sensitivity and specific IgG and IgG4 against D.pt. in this group. In patients with rhinitis nasal sensitivity was reduced in the placebo group without concomitant improvement in the nasal symptom score. Specific IgE (D.pt. and D.f.) increased significantly more in the active treatment group after 3 and 12 months. We conclude that sublingual IT over 12 months with the fivefold Der p 1 dose of subcutaneous IT was well tolerated, but there was no consistent clinical or immunological benefit compared to placebo.

Compared with a previous study on the prevalence of clinically typical CD in the same region, the present investigation indicates a four-fold higher prevalence of asymptomatic CD. Coeliac-specific antibodies should, therefore, be measured much more widely in the presence of certain symptoms and risk factors. While in adults the measurement of EmA is sufficient to provide the indication for a small-intestine biopsy, both EmA and AGA should be determined before a biopsy is undertaken in children.

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The dietary intake of Omega-3 (omega-3) and Omega-6 (omega-6) fatty acids (FA) may influence the development of atopic diseases. Based on the results of two dietary surveys, the intake of omega-3-FA and omega-6-FA in West Germany in 1985-1989 and in Dresden, East Germany in 1988-1989 and 1990-1991 was estimated. The intake of omega-6-FA but not of omega-3-FA was slightly higher in the West German population before 1990, mainly because of a higher intake of vegetable oil. Immediately after 1990 the omega-6-FA-intake in the observed East German sample increased because of an increase in the consumption of margarine [from a mean of 16 (SD 17) to 38 (24) g day-1]. Additional information indicates that, in contrast, East German infant formulas contained higher amounts of omega-6-FA (linoleic acid) and lower amounts of omega-3-FA (alpha-linolenic acid) than West German formulas. Whether there is a causal relation between the amounts of omega-6-FA and omega-3-FA consumed and the prevalence of atopy in children from East and West Germany remains to be clarified.

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