To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Early Day Care Attendance May Protect Infants from Later Developing Asthma URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/215F8E.htm Doctor's Guide October 19, 2007
MILWAUKEE, WI -- October 19, 2007 -- Day care attendance early in life seems to protect infants and young children from later developing asthma, from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI). Janet Rothers, MS, and colleagues examined the relationship between the age at which day care attendance begins and the amount of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in a child's blood. IgE is an antibody produced by the immune system and an indicator of allergic sensitivity. Researchers found: • Children who went to day care by 3 months of age had lowered IgE levels. The IgE levels of day care children remained low through age 3 years, but this protection appeared to be limited to children whose mothers have asthma or a family history of susceptibility to allergy. • Children who attended day care outside their own home had lower IgE levels than those who attended day care in their own home with children not their siblings, or than children who didn't attend day care. The authors speculate that regular exposure to bacteria from two different environments may play a role in immune development and supports the idea that there may be a critically short period when such bacterial exposure can guide the immature immune system to develop on a healthy path. The JACI is the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. SOURCE: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.