Independent effects of intestinal parasite infection and domestic allergen exposure on risk of wheeze in Ethiopia: a nested case-control study

Scrivener, Sarah; Yemaneberhan, Haile; Zebenigus, Mehila; Tilahun, Daniel; Girma, Samuel; Ali, Seid; McElroy, Paul J.; Čustović, Adnan; Woodcock, Ashley; Pritchard, David; Venn, Andrea; Britton, John

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(01)06579-5

Cited by 333 publications

(308 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The hygiene hypothesis states that rich microbial exposure during a critical time window in utero or early infancy gives a beneficial T-cell differentiation and protects against later atopy. Recent studies have tried to modify this thinking by including the potentially protective effect of moderate exposure to parasites (Scrivener et al, 2001). Another study of indigenous children from Guatemala found that 10-15% of children o18 months were infested with parasites (Arana, personal communication).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood asthma and indoor woodsmoke from cooking in Guatemala

Schei

Hessen

Smith

et al. 2004

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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We estimated the prevalence and severity of asthma, and the association with cooking on open wood fires, as preparation for a large-scale randomized field trial on effects of indoor air pollution and child health. This is one of the first systematic studies of asthma and indoor wood-smoke pollution and to our knowledge the first asthma study in a purely indigeneous population in Latin America. The mothers of 1058 children aged 4-6 years were interviewed, using the standardized ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) procedures and questionnaire. The study population is a Mam-speaking (Maya), indigenous group living at relatively high altitude (2000 m) in Western Guatemalan Highlands. We found that asthma prevalence is low among indigenous children in Gautemala, compared to other populations in Latin America. Only 3.3% of the children reported wheezing symptoms in the last 12 months, and 72% wheezing symptoms ever. The majority of the current wheezers had at least one of the criteria for severe asthma. The prevalence of all the symptoms of asthma was higher in children from households that used open fires compared to improved stoves with chimneys. In a logistic regression model, use of open fire for cooking was a significant risk factor for a number of asthma symptoms, with odds ratios varying from 2.0 to 3.5. Among the different cooking technologies (1Fimproved stove with chimney, 2Fmixture of gas and open fire, 3Fopen fire) trends of higher prevalence with more pollution was found for some of the symptoms. Hence use of open fire for cooking, may be an important risk factor for asthma symptoms and severity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood asthma and indoor woodsmoke from cooking in Guatemala

Schei

Hessen

Smith

et al. 2004

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…Parasitic infections appeared to be the major factor explaining this difference. A protective role by intestinal parasitic (helminth) infection against the development of allergic diseases has been reported by several studies (132)(133)(134)(135)(136), although some authors have reported an opposite result (137,138). The evidence of an inverse relationship between helminths and atopic disease applies mostly to asthma, whereas for e.g.…”

Section: Von Hertzen and Haahtelamentioning

confidence: 99%

Asthma and atopy – the price of affluence?

Hertzen

Haahtela²

2004

Allergy

121

110

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Irrespective of improved knowledge of many aspects of atopic diseases, the unfavorable trends in their prevalence particularly among children could not have been reversed. A growing body of evidence suggests that something may lack from our societal affluence that has the capacity to provide protection against the development of atopic diseases. Much attention during the last years has been devoted to the hygiene hypothesis. This review outlines the impact of environment and lifestyle, particularly from the perspective of the East–West gradient, on the development of atopic diseases, with a special emphasis on the hygiene hypothesis in its broadest sense.

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“…Studies examining the relationship between allergies and parasitic infections have demonstrated that children with chronic helminth infection have reduced allergic responses to the house dust mite [74]. Infection of mice with the gastrointestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus was found to indiuced Treg cells that suppress experimentally induced airway allergy to the house dust mite allergen Der p1 [75].…”

Section: Implications For Allergy and Asthmamentioning

confidence: 99%