Hay fever, hygiene, and household size.
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Epidemiological analysis links rising allergic disease prevalence to declining household size and altered childhood infection exposure, suggesting early microbial contact protects against atopy.
Key Points
- Evaluate historical trends in British general practice morbidity to explain the rising prevalence of hay fever, childhood eczema, and asthma over recent decades.
- Assessed successive morbidity surveys from British general practice spanning a 30-year period.
- Examined epidemiological patterns of atopic diseases in relation to household composition and childhood infection exposure.
- General practice surveys demonstrate a consistent increase in the prevalence of hay fever over 30 years.
- Parallel secular increases were observed in the rates of asthma and childhood eczema across modern post-industrial environments.
Cite This Study
David P. Strachan (1989) studied this question.