Prenatal visits for allergy prevention

Abstract

Allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, food allergy, asthma, and allergic rhinitis, are common; according to a national birth cohort study in Japan, almost half of pregnant women reported a history of allergic disease.1 Given that genetic factors, including family history, are predictors of allergic diseases in offspring, we expect the birth of many infants with a high risk of developing allergies. Among allergy prevention strategies, the effectiveness of primary prevention of eczema in high-risk infants by the topical application of emollient during the neonatal period has been demonstrated in 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs).