No allergy benefit from daycare

Wednesday September 9th, 2009

Children who attend day-care may not gain long-term protection against asthma and allergy as a result of socialising, researchers have said.

It was believed that mixing with other children and catching more infections was beneficial to children. But new research suggests that any benefit disappears by the age of eight.

Dr Johan de Jongste at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, followed nearly 4,000 Dutch children for eight years. Daycare use was assessed each year. At eight years old, the children were tested for allergy symptoms.

Children at daycare and with older siblings had a much higher rate of respiratory infections. But this did not have a protective effect on wheeze, inhaled steroid prescription or asthma symptoms until the age of eight years.

Dr de Jongste says: "We found no evidence for a protective or harmful effect of daycare on the development of asthma symptoms, allergic sensitisation, or airway hyper-responsiveness at the age of eight years."

Details are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

This study does not support the widespread belief that early exposure to infections pays off in later. "If anything," say the team, "it suggests that these exposures cause more airway symptoms early in life with no counterbalancing benefit later."

Dr de Jongste adds: "Early daycare merely seems to shift the burden of respiratory morbidity to an earlier age where it is more troublesome than at a later age. It should not be promoted for reasons of preventing asthma and allergy."

Caudri, D. et al. Early Daycare Is Associated with an Increase in Airway Symptoms in Early Childhood but Is No Protection against Asthma or Atopy at 8 Years. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Vol. 180, September 15, 2009, pp 491-98.

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Child Health | Europe

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