Research led by James Gern, MD, professor, Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Department of Pediatrics, was featured in the National Institutes of Health's Research Matters news website, a weekly update of NIH-funded research published by the Office of Communications and Public Liaison in the NIH Office of the Director. 

More than 8 perent of children in the United States currently have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways, cauisng recurring bouts of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. It is a major cause of school and work absences, pediatric emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.

Investigations by Dr. Gern's team, including the  Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study, have found that exposure to certain allergens and bacteria early in life can lower risk of developing asthma by age 7 and may protect children from wheezing, a precursor of asthma, at age 3. 

The ongoing study enrolls newborns from Baltimore, Boston, New York City, and St. Louis who are at high risk for developing asthma because at least one parent has asthma or allergies. Of 442 children enrolled, 29 percent had asthma by the age of 7. Those whose households had higher levels of cockroach, mouse, and cat allergens during the first three years of life had a lower risk of asthma.

“Our observations imply that exposure to a broad variety of indoor allergens, bacteria, and bacterial products early in life may reduce the risk of developing asthma,” said Dr. Gern. “Additional research may help us identify specific targets for asthma prevention strategies.”

Resources:

• "Infant exposure to pet and pest allergens may reduce asthma risk," NIH Research Matters, September 26, 2017
• O'Connor GT, Lynch SV, Bloomberg GR, Kattan M, Wood RA, Gergen PJ, Jaffee KF, Calatroni A, Bacharier LB, Beigelman A, Sandel MT, Johnson CC, Faruqi A, Santee C, Fujimura KE, Fadrosh D, Boushey H, Visness CM, Gern JE. 2017. Early-life home environment and risk of asthma among inner-city children. J Allergy Clin Immunol. [Epub ahead of print]