Hygiene hypothesis and the increasing incidence of allergic diseases in the children and adolescent population
Authors:
V. Bencko; P. Šíma
Authors‘ workplace:
Ředitel: RNDr. Martin Bilej, DrSc.
; Mikrobiologický ústav AV ČR v. v. i., Praha
; Přednosta: doc. MUDr. Milan Tuček, CSc.
; Ústav hygieny a epidemiologie
; 1. lékařská fakulta
; Univerzita Karlova v Praze
Published in:
Prakt. Lék. 2016; 96(6): 275-279
Category:
Of different specialties
Overview
Hygiene hypothesis was an important contribution to understanding the causes of the increasing incidence of allergic, atopic and other immunopathological conditions in the children population and, later increased incidence of non-communicable disease (e.g. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases) in adulthood. Key risk factors relating to the "hygiene hypothesis" and the incidence immunopathological conditions in the children population were: lack of sufficient/adequate exposure to antigens in the environment, “cold chain hypothesis“, infectious agents in the context of antibiotics overuse, urban lifestyle/education possible proportion of excessively meticulous daily care for children and a high standard of hygiene and household, protective factors such as breastfeeding, family size and sibling relationships in a larger family.
The literature generally states that the reduced exposure to microbial antigens in children probably plays an important role in the growth of incidence of allergies, and immunopathological diseases in child and adolescent population.
The reliable supportive assistance data for each of these above mentioned factors vary considerably. The most promising factors that could be causally associated with the development of allergies include exposure to intestinal microbiome, breastfeeding and sibling factors. However, most studies in this area suffer from serious methodological flaws, particularly the reliance on retrospective recall the requested information, making it difficult to determine the validity of the "hygiene hypothesis". However, the "hygiene hypothesis" as well as follow-up "old friends hypothesis“, based on knowledge of the critical impact of the intestinal microbiome to the development of the immune system in children are an important area of research, which could provide clues to understanding the causes of the current adverse developments in the incidence of allergies, including atopy as such, chronic autoimmune, inflammatory bowel disease not only in children but also the population of adolescents and adults..
Keywords:
hygiene hypothesis – exposure to antigenic stimuli – cold chain hypothesis – overuse of antibiotics – old friends hypothesis – breast feeding
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