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A recent study published in the journal Pediatric Allergy & Immunology examined the incidence of allergic diseases in children who had previously been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD). The study found that there was a delayed increase in allergic diseases in KD patients, suggesting a possible common underlying mechanism between KD and allergic diseases. The study utilized a large cohort and considered patient characteristics, making it unique from previous studies. The findings highlight the complex and multifactorial nature of allergic disease development and the importance of considering the dynamic nature of these patterns in epidemiological research. However, the study design using a nationwide insurance claim database has potential limitations, such as selection bias and data quality issues. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Association of early pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and maternal gestational weight gain (GWG), and asthma and allergic disease in children is unclear. Methods: We analyzed data from 3176 mother–child pairs in a prospective birth cohort study. Maternal anthropometric measurements in the first and last antenatal clinic visits were obtained through post‐delivery questionnaires to calculate early pregnancy BMI and maternal GWG. Asthma and allergic diseases in children by the age of 5 years was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Furthermore, serum samples were analyzed for IgE antibodies to eight allergens. We applied Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression analyses to estimate the association of early pregnancy BMI and maternal GWG (as continuous variables and categorized into quarters), and asthma, atopic eczema, atopic sensitization, and allergic rhinitis in children. Results: Neither early pregnancy BMI nor maternal GWG was associated with asthma and allergic disease in children when analyzed as continuous variables. However, compared to the first quarter of GWG (a rate <0.32 kg/week), mothers in the third quarter (rate 0.42–0.52 kg/week) had children with significantly higher odds of developing atopic eczema (adjusted OR 1.49, 95% CI [1.13–1.96]) by 5 years of age. Conclusion: Association of early pregnancy BMI and maternal GWG, and asthma and allergic disease in children, is inconsistent. High maternal GWG may be associated with increased odds of atopic eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions Studies of childhood diet diversity and allergic disease have not examined additional associations with an offspring allergy‐linked maternal diet index during pregnancy. We studied both associations in a pre‐birth cohort.Offspring allergic disease diagnoses were obtained from electronic medical records. Maternal and infant diet were self‐reported. Adjusted parametric Weibull time‐to‐event models assessed associations between maternal diet index, infant diet diversity and time to development of allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, wheeze, IgE‐mediated food allergy, and a combined outcome of any allergic disease except for wheeze.Infant diet diversity at 1 year was associated with the risk of the combined outcome between 1 and 4 years of age (p = .002). While both maternal diet index and infant diet diversity at 1 year were associated with the risk of the combined outcome between 1 and 4 years of age (both p < .05), infant diet diversity at 1 year did not modify the association between maternal diet index and the risk of the combined outcome between 1 and 4 years of age (p = .5). The group with the lowest risk of the combined allergy outcome had higher maternal diet index and higher infant diet diversity.The novel finding that both maternal diet index during pregnancy and infant diet diversity at 12 months are associated with the risk of a combined allergic disease outcome points to two targets for preventive interventions: maternal diet index scores during pregnancy and offspring diet diversity during infancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epithelial barriers of the skin, gut, and respiratory tract are critical interfaces between the environment and the host, and they orchestrate both homeostatic and pathogenic immune responses. The mechanisms underlying epithelial barrier dysfunction in allergic and inflammatory conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, food allergy, eosinophilic oesophagitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and asthma, are complex and influenced by the exposome, microbiome, individual genetics, and epigenetics. Here, we review the role of the epithelial barriers of the skin, digestive tract, and airways in maintaining homeostasis, how they influence the occurrence and progression of allergic and inflammatory conditions, how current treatments target the epithelium to improve symptoms of these disorders, and what the unmet needs are in the identification and treatment of epithelial disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been suggested that allergic diseases may increase after Kawasaki disease (KD). We aimed to analyze the temporal patterns of allergic disease incidence after KD. Methods: A nationwide population‐based matched cohort study was conducted using data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database. Patients aged <5 years diagnosed with KD and their 1:3 propensity score‐matched controls were included. Three cohorts were established: Cohort A, patients with allergies; Cohort B, patients without allergies; and Cohort C, patients without allergies, but excluding patients with birth history and underlying medical conditions. Cumulative incidence rates (%) and associated hospital visits for allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and asthma were compared between the cases and controls during the 6‐year follow‐up period. Results: The study population comprised 8678 patients diagnosed with KD and 26,034 controls. In Cohort A, although initially, there were intergroup differences in the number of hospital visits for certain allergic diseases, these differences were inconsistent and varied depending on the type of allergic disease. Over time, the differences narrowed, and by the sixth year, the gap had decreased significantly. In Cohorts B and C, the initial incidence rates of the four allergic diseases and associated hospital visits were lower in patients with KD as compared to controls. However, with a faster rate of increase, the incidence rates and number of hospital visits eventually surpassed those of the controls. Conclusions: The pattern of delayed increase in cumulative incidence rates and hospital visits for allergic diseases after KD suggests the possibility of a shared genetic or immunologic susceptibility between KD and allergic diseases, which becomes evident over time, rather than a direct influence of KD resulting in allergic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy and postnatally has been shown to be associated with offspring atopic diseases (asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis). The aim of this study was to assess whether this association may be attributable to the child's own mental health disorders. Method: The study population included 15,092 twin children born 2002–2010 in Sweden. Questionnaire data at age 9 years was linked to national patient‐ and prescription registers. Maternal mental health during pregnancy and 3 years postnatally were identified from diagnosis and medication data (depression, anxiety and stress disorders). Atopic diseases in children were identified from questionnaires, diagnosis and medication data. Child mental health status (depression and anxiety) was identified from questionnaires. Three‐way decomposition methods tested for mediation or interaction by child mental health disorders. Results: Maternal mental health disorders were associated with most child atopic diseases including asthma aRR1.36 (95% CI 1.12, 1.60), and child mental health disorders, aRR1.73 (95% CI 1.56, 1.92). Children with mental health disorders were comorbid for atopic diseases with only asthma reaching statistical significance, aRR1.29 (95% CI 1.14, 1.47). Three‐way decomposition found that mediation or interaction by child mental health disorders did not account for the mother mental health and child atopy associations except in parent‐report asthma, where child mental health disorders mediated 13.4% (95% CI 2.1, 24.7) of the effect, but not for objectively defined (diagnosis and medication) asthma. Conclusion: The associations between maternal mental health and child asthma and allergic diseases do not appear to be attributable to child mental health disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]