FORALLVENT

Background

The prevalence of asthma and allergies across Europe is very high, causing social problems and significant medical costs. Asthma, hay fever, food allergies and other allergic illnesses often hinder the physical and intellectual development of affected children. Such illnesses also affect the working and earning capacity of adults. Current therapies exist to control allergic symptoms in most patients, but as yet no curative or preventive approach has been found. There is an urgent need for novel ideas to prevent or to cure allergic diseases. 

painting from GABRIEL study: Farmyard by Silvio, age 6

One in four European children under the age of 10 suffers from an allergy. Why is this a growing problem? Are the causes environmental or hereditary? Why is it that, despite relatively homogenous lifestyles in apparently comparable countries, the percentages of allergy sufferers show such marked contrasts? All in all, the scientists have certainly not finished grappling with the allergy headache. As part of their efforts, 25 leading research teams have come together within the GA2LEN European network of excellence.


Read RTDinfo, Magazine on European Research No.41

 

Some researchers believe that urban life, by reducing exposure to pollen, insects and other natural immunogens during childhood, makes the immune system lazy to the point where it fails to recognise these antigens. This hygiene hypothesis implies that the increase in allergies is the unexpected consequence of more sanitary living conditions. This possibility is being tested by GA2LEN, in particular by researchers at the Ludwig Maximilians Universität in Munich (DE).