Childhood allergies and wheezing may be determined in the womb
22 October 2010
A child’s chances of developing allergies or wheezing is related to how they grow at vital stages in the womb, according to Medical Research Council (MRC) funded scientists at the University of Southampton.
The new research, also supported by the British Lung Foundation, reveals that fetuses which develop quickly in early pregnancy but falter later on in pregnancy are likely to go on to develop allergies and asthma as children. Scientists believe this is due to changes in the development of their immune system and lungs.
A fetus that grows too slowly in the womb is also more likely to become an infant who wheezes with common colds, possibly as a result of narrower airways in its lungs.
Professor Keith Godfrey, Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the University of Southampton and lead author of the study, said:
“Childhood allergies and asthma have become an epidemic in developed countries over the last 50 years. This research shows that in order to combat this, we need to understand more about how babies develop in the womb.
“We already know that a baby’s growth in the womb has an important influence on susceptibility to obesity and heart disease in later life, but this research provides some of the most direct evidence yet that changes in how the baby’s immune system and lungs develop before birth can predispose them to some of the commonest childhood illnesses.”
The scientists from the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and University of Southampton, based at Southampton General Hospital, studied more than 1,500 three year-old children who were taking part in the Southampton Women’s Survey, a large study of women and their children.
The team discovered that 27% of children who had developed quickly in early pregnancy but faltered later in pregnancy were sensitive to common allergens (atopy), compared to 4% of children who grew at a normal rate. A combination of allergy and wheezing conditions was also much more likely in children with the rapid-slow growth pattern in the womb.
Professor Stephen Holgate, from the Medical Research Council, said:
“Unravelling the complex interplay between immunity and disease, over the course of a person’s life, including before they are even born, is a core part of the MRC’s research strategy. Furthering our understanding of the body’s natural resilience is critical to developing new advances in the treatment of infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and allergies.”
Ends
For further information contact:
Sophie Docker, Media Relations Officer, University of Southampton, Tel: 023 8059 8933, email: S.Docker@soton.ac.uk
Emma Knight, Senior Press Officer, Medical Research Council, Tel: 020 7637 6011, email: emma.knight@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Notes for editors
1. Paper: “Patterns of fetal and infant growth are related to atrophy and wheezing disorders at age 3”:
Katharine Pike, Sarah Crozier, Jane Lucas, Hazel Inskip, Sian Robinson, The Southampton Women’s Survey Group, Graham Roberts, Keith Godfrey.
Published in Thorax: DOI: 10.1136/thx.2010.134742
2. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities. With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of £400 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning. The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Research Initiative, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus.
3. For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk
