The hygienic hypothesis and transformations in etiological knowledge: from causal ontology to ontogenesis of the body

Dina Czeresnia

doi:10.1590/s0102-311x2005000400019

Abstract

The objective of this article is to systematize the principal recent research results pertaining to the so-called hygienic hypothesis, which establishes an etiological link between the increasing incidence of allergic diseases and the decreasing incidence of infectious diseases in the industrialized countries of the Western world. The author contends that the current debate on the hygienic hypothesis indicates significant transformations in the understanding of disease etiology, perhaps even as important as the transformations in the 19th century during the process leading to the constitution of modern medicine and the identification of infectious disease causal agents.

Highlights

The principal line of epidemiological investigation focused on the rising incidence of allergic diseases revolves around the so-called hygienic hypothesis, which establishes a link between the etiological debate surrounding these diseases and infectious diseases
The hygienic hypothesis postulates that the decreasing incidence of infectious diseases has been the primary factor behind the increasing incidence of allergic diseases in industrialized countries
In addition to investigating the environmental factors involved in this phenomenon, the research has attempted to reveal the biological mechanisms that interconnect the decrease in infectious disease to the increasing frequency of allergic diseases

Summary

Introduction

The principal line of epidemiological investigation focused on the rising incidence of allergic diseases revolves around the so-called hygienic hypothesis, which establishes a link between the etiological debate surrounding these diseases and infectious diseases. The immune system’s maturation processes, during which stimulation by infectious agents can be important, can occur principally during early infancy 1,6,13,14.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion