Effect of neonatal sepsis on the development of allergies and asthma in later childhood.

Background: Exposure to large amounts of endotoxins and other bacterial products in early childhood may protect against the development of allergic diseases later in childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of neonatal sepsis on subsequent development of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in children.
Methods: We recruited 85 children (mean age 48.67 +/- 12.88 months) who had been hospitalized for sepsis in their neonatal period and their siblings (n = 85) as controls (mean age 61.81 +/- 21.34 months) to investigate the prevalences of asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. After asking the questions in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) questionnaires to the parents, total IgE levels in sera were measured and skin prick tests were performed.
Results: Children with neonatal sepsis had lower total IgE levels and less sensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus than controls (25.9 vs. 9.4%, p = 0.003). In addition, wheeze ever, wheeze in the last 12 months, physician-diagnosed asthma, and use of asthma drugs were less common in these subjects. Prevalences of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were equal in both groups.
Conclusion: Exposure to severe infections such as sepsis in the neonatal period may decrease sensitization to environmental allergens and prevalence of asthma in later childhood.
(Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.)