Maternal stress and perinatal programming in the expression of atopy

Biological hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli, a fundamental feature of atopy, contributes to a spectrum of costly pediatric disorders, including allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma. The increase in the prevalence of these disorders and the enormous costs involved in managing atopic patients have motivated efforts to identify early risk factors that may be amenable to intervention and prevention [1–3].