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| |  Antibodies to Cockroach, Mouse Proteins Associated With Asthma and Allergies in Preschool Children NEW YORK -- November 14, 2008 -- Developing antibodies to cockroach and mouse proteins is associated with a greater risk for wheeze, hay fever, and eczema in preschool urban children aged as young as 3 years, according to a study published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study is the first to focus on the links between antibody responses to cockroach and mouse proteins and respiratory and allergic symptoms in such a young age group. “These findings increase our understanding of the relationship between immune responses to indoor allergens and the development of asthma and allergies in very young children,” said lead author Kathleen Donohue, MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York. This study is part of a broader multi-year research project launched in 1998 by Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) that examines the health effects of exposure of pregnant women and babies to indoor and outdoor air pollutants, pesticides, and allergens. The Center’s prior research findings have shown that exposure to multiple environmental pollutants is associated with an increase in risk for asthma symptoms among children. These latest findings contribute to a further understanding of how the environment impacts child health. “These are valuable findings given the high prevalence of asthma in New York City and elsewhere. They highlight the importance of reducing exposure to cockroach and mouse allergens at a very early age for susceptible children,” said senior investigator Rachel L. Miller, MD, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, CCEH. The researchers suggest that interventions directed towards cockroach and mouse allergen reduction may also have long-term benefit to inner city children who are susceptible to these exposures. The investigators controlled for exposure to tobacco smoke and maternal history of asthma. A prospective follow-up of this birth cohort will help determine whether the development of anti-cockroach, anti-mouse immunoglobulin (Ig) E by age 3 is associated with impaired lung function and/or persistent asthma, said the authors. SOURCE: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
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