Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda.
Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Parasite Immunol. 2019 Jun;41(6):e12589. doi: 10.1111/pim.12589. Epub 2018 Oct 21.
Population studies from the African continent have observed a marked increase in the prevalence of allergy-related diseases over the past few decades, but the cause of this rise is not fully understood. The most investigated potential risk factor has been the relationship between exposure to helminths and allergy-related outcomes. Immunologically, parallels exist between responses to helminths and to allergens as both are associated with elevated levels of immunoglobulin E, increased numbers of T helper 2 cells and other immune cells. However, epidemiological studies from the African continent have found inconsistent results. In this review, observations from population studies carried out in Africa over the last decade that focus on the relationship between helminth infections and allergy-related outcomes are examined. How these findings advance our understanding of the complex interactions between helminths and allergies at the population level is also explored as well as some of the underlying immune mechanisms involved. This knowledge is important for better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of allergy-related diseases and has wider global significance.
非洲大陆的人群研究观察到，在过去几十年中，与过敏相关的疾病的患病率显著增加，但这种上升的原因尚未完全阐明。研究最多的潜在危险因素是暴露于寄生虫和与过敏相关结果之间的关系。从免疫学角度来看，寄生虫和过敏原的反应之间存在相似之处，因为两者都与免疫球蛋白 E 水平升高、辅助性 T 细胞 2 细胞和其他免疫细胞数量增加有关。然而，非洲大陆的流行病学研究发现结果不一致。在这篇综述中，我们研究了过去十年在非洲进行的人群研究的观察结果，这些研究集中在寄生虫感染与过敏相关结果之间的关系。我们还探讨了这些发现如何提高我们对寄生虫和过敏在人群水平上的复杂相互作用的理解，以及涉及的一些潜在免疫机制。这些知识对于更好地诊断、治疗和预防与过敏相关的疾病非常重要，并且具有更广泛的全球意义。
