U.S. medical experts are getting a better understanding of allergies among children, which may help find ways to prevent the diseases, says USA Today.
The research, done at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, is based on a better understanding of the allergies' genetic and molecular causes.
A panel of experts told the newspaper allergies are an abnormal response by the immune system to things the body should perceive as harmless.
They said wheat, milk, eggs, shellfish, peanuts and soybeans are the main culprits when it comes to allergies.
Among preventive measure are breast-feeding children for at least the first four to six months of a child's life, and avoiding smoking as secondhand smoke is known to increases asthma rates.
The experts said parents should not be afraid to expose their children to other children. They said exposure to the common illnesses of childhood helps fine-tune a child's immune system.
Interestingly, the researchers found that in cultures in which mothers work with cows and pigs when they're pregnant and then bring their babies in with them while they work, the children rarely develop asthma.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
