An exploration of the positive and negative relationships associated with the development of asthma and atopic disorders in primary school children in Cork

Duggan, Eileen Mary

An exploration of the positive and negative relationships associated with the development of asthma and atopic disorders in primary school children in Cork

dc.check.embargoformat	E-thesis on CORA only	en
dc.check.entireThesis	Entire Thesis Restricted
dc.check.info	Restricted to everyone for one year	en
dc.check.opt-out	Not applicable	en
dc.check.reason	This thesis is due for publication or the author is actively seeking to publish this material	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Hourihane, Jonathan O'B.	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Fitzgerald, Tony	en
dc.contributor.author	Duggan, Eileen Mary
dc.contributor.funder	Irish Lung Foundation	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-01-27T15:02:01Z
dc.date.available	2015-01-28T05:00:06Z
dc.date.issued	2013
dc.date.submitted	2013
dc.description.abstract	Childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema are complex heterogenic chronic inflammatory allergic disorders which constitute a major burden to children, their families. The prevalence of childhood allergic disorders is increasing worldwide and merely rudimentary understanding exists regarding causality, or the influence of the environment on disease expression. Phase Three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC) reported that Irish adolescents had the 4th highest eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence and 3rd highest asthma prevalence in the world. There are no ISAAC data pertaining to young Irish children. In 2002, Sturley reported a high prevalence of current asthma in Cork primary school children aged 6-9 years. This thesis comprises of three cross-sectional studies which examined the prevalence of and associations with childhood allergy and a quasi-retrospective cohort study which observed the natural history of allergy from 6-9 until 11-13 years. Although not part of ISAAC, data was attained by parentally completed ISAAC-based questionnaires, using the ISAAC protocol. The prevalence, natural history and risk factors of childhood allergy in Ireland, as described in this thesis, echo those in worldwide allergy research. The variations of prevalence in different populations worldwide and the recurring themes of associations between childhood allergy and microbial exposures, from farming environments and/or gastrointestinal infections, as shown in this thesis, strengthen the mounting evidence that microbial exposure on GALT may hold the key to the mechanisms of allergy development. In this regard, probiotics may be an area of particular interest in allergy modification. Although their effects in relation to allergy, have been investigated now for several years, our knowledge of their diversity, complex functions and interactions with gut microflora, remain rudimentary. Birth cohort studies which include genomic and microbiomic research are recommended in order to examine the underlying mechanisms and the natural course of allergic diseases.	en
dc.description.sponsorship	Irish Lung Foundation	en
dc.description.status	Not peer reviewed	en
dc.description.version	Accepted Version
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Duggan, E. M. 2013. An exploration of the positive and negative relationships associated with the development of asthma and atopic disorders in primary school children in Cork. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.	en
dc.identifier.endpage	226
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10468/1333
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	University College Cork	en
dc.rights	© 2013, Eileen M. Duggan	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/	en
dc.subject	Childhood allergy	en
dc.subject	epidemiology of childhood allergy	en
dc.subject	Prevalence of childhood allergic disease	en
dc.thesis.opt-out	false
dc.title	An exploration of the positive and negative relationships associated with the development of asthma and atopic disorders in primary school children in Cork	en
dc.type	Doctoral thesis	en
dc.type.qualificationlevel	Doctoral	en
dc.type.qualificationname	PhD (Medicine and Health)	en
ucc.workflow.supervisor	j.hourihane@ucc.ie