Prospective study of atopic status in infants of the cohort in Tokyo, Japan

Several risk factors for the development of allergic diseases are considered including, for example, the level of IgE in cord blood or in the peripheral blood of neonates and the antigenic effect of some foods that are ingested by both babies and mothers during pregnancy and during the lactation period. However, not all infants with atopic diathesis develop allergic diseases. To clarify the risk factors and the mechanism for developing allergic diseases, particularly bronchial asthma (BA), we prospectively investigated atopic diatheses and symptoms in children in a cohort using a questionnaire method. The factors correlated to development of allergic diseases, as a whole, at the age of 5–6 years were atopic family history and any allergic symptom at 4 months of age. However, not all subjects with atopic dermatitis developed BA later on. High levels of total IgE and positive IgE antibody against egg white were not risk factors for developing BA at the age of 5–6 years.