From the Department of Pediatrics, National University Singapore, Singapore.
World Allergy Organ J. 2008 Apr;1(4):57-62. doi: 10.1097/WOX.0b013e31816ddbc1.
The prevalence of childhood allergic diseases, such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, has increased exponentially. In Singapore, the prevalence of asthma at all ages exceeds 20%, and around 50% of Singaporean children show features of an underlying allergy. The exact environmental causes for the increase of allergic diseases have not yet been identified, but most researchers agree that a decreased bacterial load in young children may be one of the reasons for the increase. However, the causes of allergy are multiple, and the development of an allergic disease is the result of complex interactions between genetic constitution and environmental factors. In this review article, different aspects of allergic sensitization are covered, including prenatal and postnatal sensitization. The phenomenon of the "allergic march" (switching from one clinical expression of allergy to another) and its underlying mechanisms are discussed. The last part of this review article is on prevention and treatment of allergic diseases, including the role of bacterial products (probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics) and the role of immunotherapy, including sublingual immunotherapy.
儿童过敏性疾病（如过敏性哮喘、过敏性鼻炎和特应性皮炎）的患病率呈指数级增长。在新加坡，各个年龄段的哮喘患病率都超过 20%，大约 50%的新加坡儿童表现出潜在过敏的特征。过敏性疾病增加的确切环境原因尚未确定，但大多数研究人员认为，幼儿细菌负荷的减少可能是原因之一。然而，过敏的原因是多方面的，过敏性疾病的发展是遗传构成和环境因素之间复杂相互作用的结果。在这篇综述文章中，涵盖了过敏致敏的不同方面，包括产前和产后致敏。讨论了“过敏进展”（从一种过敏临床表现转变为另一种临床表现）现象及其潜在机制。这篇综述文章的最后一部分是关于过敏性疾病的预防和治疗，包括细菌产物（益生菌、益生元和合生菌）的作用以及免疫疗法（包括舌下免疫疗法）的作用。
