Daycare may reduce risk of asthma Friday, December 21, 2007 A
recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
suggests early daycare attendance may protect high-risk infants
from later developing asthma. The study examined the
relationship between the age at which daycare begins and the
amount of immunoglobulin E in a child's blood. IgE is an
antibody produced by the immune system that serves as an
indicator of allergic sensitivity. "Everybody's bodies have the
potential to create these antibodies," explains Dr. Annie
Khuntia, a clinical associate professor in the section of
pediatric allergy and immunology at the University of Chicago.
"The higher the IgE level, the greater the risk and severity of
the disease." Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that
makes breathing difficult. There is a strong genetic component;
family history of asthma is the strongest risk factor for a
child. But environment can play a role, too. The study found
that high-risk children-kids with the genetic piece w