The Role of Infections in Atopic Diseases in Children

Abstract

Aim: Especially in the developed countries; there has been an increase in the prevalence of atopic diseases over the past 40 years. This is explained by the improved living conditions and reduced exposure to infections. In this study, effects of some infections on atopic diseases were investigated. Methods: Fifty atopic patients and 46 age-and sex-matched healthy children were included in the study. Skin prick test was performed and serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels were determined in all subjects. Serum-specific IgG was investigated to detect seropositivity of hepatitis A virus (HAV), Toxoplasma gondii, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). In addition, Helicobacter pylori feacal antigen test was done. Results: Anti-HAV IgG seropositivity (30.0%) and H. pylori antigen positivity (22.0%) were significantly lower in atopic children than in controls (52.1%, 47.8%, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in seropositivities of T. gondii, EBV viral capsid antigen and CMV IgG. Conclusion: HAV and H. pylori may be protective infections in atopic patients. However, there is a need for larger scale studies to achieve generalizable results.