Mothers exposed to farms, particularly to barns and farm milk, while pregnant confer protection from allergies on their newborns, according to a group of German researchers, who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Wednesday, May 21.

The age at which children are exposed to peanuts and have an allergic response has dropped significantly over the last decade, despite recommendations that at-risk families avoid exposing children to peanuts during the first three years of life, according to research led by a Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC allergist/immunologist.

New guidelines on the diagnosis and management of cows’ milk allergy (CMA), published today in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, are set to improve the standard of care of infants with CMA, the most common food allergy in children.1

Allergic-like reactions to newer iodine-containing contrast agents (nonionic contrast media), are rare in children according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Medical Center and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital both in Ann Arbor.

Cows' milk allergy (CMA) has considerable negative effects on the family unit, as exposed by findings from an international survey. In addition to coping with the disturbing physical effects of the condition on the child (including vomiting, diarrhoea, failure to thrive and eczema), 70% of parents of children with CMA said that it makes them feel guilty and distressed and 82% said that it has caused them to lose sleep.

Cats and cat allergens in the home clearly raise the risk of the allergic sensitisation of children up to the age of two. For older children, however, the influence of the environment at home on the development of cat allergen sensitization decreases. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the GSF - National Research Center for Environment and Health (GSF), Helmholtz-Association, when they evaluated the data of more than 2,000 children from Leipzig and Munich.

Environmental health scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) say they have confirmed what other scientists have only suspected: early-life exposure to certain indoor fungal components (molecules) can help build stronger immune systems, and may protect against future allergies.