Research seeks to eradicate childhood allergies

Researchers hope that by exposing babies to dust mites, a common allergen often found in pillows, mattresses and on carpets, when their immune systems are developing will prevent them becoming allergic as they grow older.

A total of 120 babies aged five to nine-months-old with a family history of allergy will take part in the study, which is being conducted by researchers at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre at St Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight.

According to the David Hide centre, as many as one in four people in the UK are affected by an allergy at some point in their lives, with children accounting for half of all those affected.

As well as this, they say that dust mites are the most prevalent allergy-triggering substance, which causes a number of different allergies and induces reactions in 85 per cent of children with asthma.

Professor Graham Roberts from the University of Southampton said, ‘Although we still do not know why more children are suffering from asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergy, we do know that children born in families with asthma and allergic disease are at a higher risk of developing them.

‘We hope that by giving babies a common allergen when their immune systems are working out what is and isn’t harmful will allow us to teach their bodies to accept it, and not become susceptible as they grow older.’

Professor Hasan Arshad, director of the David Hide centre, said, ‘We believe we need to act very early in life – well before babies reach their first birthday – to be effective and, if we are correct, this should reduce the development of asthma and other allergies.’

Researchers are still recruiting for babies to take part in the study. Any parents interested in helping can contact Southampton General Hospital on 023 8079 6989 or St Mary’s Hospital on 01983 552 147 for more information.