Early Day Care Exposure May Reduce Asthma Risk in Children
Mothers with asthma who decide to use day care for their infants may feel some assurance from recent findings by researchers at the Arizona Respiratory Center at The University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Infants who attend day care during their first few months of life seem to be less likely to mount immune responses that are associated with later asthma and allergies, according to the UA researchers. They also found that children of mothers who have asthma or allergies may receive the most protection from early day care.
In a study published in the November issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Janet Rothers, lead author and Arizona Respiratory Center research specialist, describes how the research team set out to obtain a better understanding of how the immune system develops by examining the relationship between the age at which day care attendance begins and the amount of immunoglobulin E, known as IgE, in a child’s blood. IgE is an antibody produced by the immune system and an indicator of allergic sensitivity.
The researchers compared IgE levels from four groups of children:
- Those who attended day care outside their own home with other children;
- Those who attended day care in other homes without other children;
- Those who attended day care in their own home with children who were not their siblings, and;
- Those who did not attend day care.
The children in the first two groups, who were exposed to two environments, had the lowest IgE levels, indicating a lower risk of asthma. In addition, IgE was reduced only among children who began day care in the first three months of life, and was unchanged among children beginning day care after this age. The authors speculate that regular exposure to bacteria from two different environments, particularly during a critically short period in early infancy, may help the immune system develop in a non-allergic pathway.
The children in this study were all healthy, but the study attracted a higher proportion of mothers with asthma, probably due to the personal interests of these volunteers. The children’s IgE levels were measured through age 3. The researchers will continue to follow these children and obtain additional data when the group reaches ages 5 and 8.
Even though this study and other studies have indicated less asthma risk among children exposed to higher levels of bacteria, be it via day care, siblings, pets or farm animals, parents and other care givers should continue to practice sensible hygiene, but perhaps need not be overly concerned about exposing babies to germs, advised Anne L. Wright, UA research professor in the Arizona Respiratory Center and UA Department of Pediatrics.
Besides Rothers and Wright, the research team included Debra A. Stern, Amber Spangenberg, I.Carla Lohman and Marilyn Halonen.
The Arizona Respiratory Center was designated the first Center of Excellence at the UA College of Medicine in 1971. Today, the internationally known Center combines the highest caliber of research, clinical care and teaching. The Center is recognized as one of the top institutions for respiratory care.
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