对儿童过敏性疾病遗传机制的研究得出了有趣的结果：如果父母中有一人患有过敏性疾病，那么与他/她同性别的子女具有更高的过敏风险。母亲患有哮喘，则女儿罹患哮喘的风险就高，父亲则与儿子的哮喘患病情况一致。美国南安普顿总医院变态反应和免疫学的Hasan Arshad教授及其同事开展的这项研究发表在8月刊《过敏与临床免疫学杂志》（The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology）上。
研究者做了什么？
研究者采用了怀特岛出生队列研究的数据，后者对近 1,500名儿童从出生一直随访至满18岁，在受试者1、2、4、10和18岁时对其进行检查。
怀特岛位于英格兰西部海域，居民结构非常稳定，绝大多数受试者在研究与随访期间都不会离开。
Arshad教授是怀特岛出生队列研究的发起者之一，该研究旨在前瞻性观察总体人群 (约13万人)的哮喘和过敏性疾病发病率，并确定任何相关的遗传和环境危险因素。
队列数据包涵详尽的遗传与环境暴露的信息，收集了从出生到每次随访的信息，每次随访时均由受试者的家长填写哮喘和任何其他过敏症(如湿疹和鼻炎)的调查问卷。
在4、10和18岁随访时，对受试者进行皮肤点刺试验，检测14种常见的食物和空气传播过敏原。10岁和18岁随访时还进行肺量测定和支气管激发试验，并且采集血样以检测免疫球蛋白E(IgE)。
受试者的家长也进行了检查与评估。例如，在受试者出生后不久，研究者就检测其家长是否患有过敏症，并检测母亲的IgE水平。
研究者发现了什么？
研究者们分析发现，母亲患有哮喘与女儿罹患哮喘有关，而与儿子的哮喘风险无关；父亲则与儿子的哮喘患病情况一致，而与女儿无关。
对于罹患湿疹的情况亦是如此：母亲患有湿疹与女儿罹患湿疹有关，而与儿子的湿疹风险无关；父亲则与儿子的湿疹患病情况一致，而与女儿无关。对于其他过敏症，研究者也得出了相似的结果。 “在分析母亲总IgE水平与子女 10~18岁时总IgE水平的相关性，以及父母过敏性疾病对儿童特应性体质的影响时，我们也发现了相似的趋势。”
研究潜在的意义！
研究者认为，上述发现可能改变儿童过敏症的评估和预防方式。例如，采集女童患者母亲和男童患者父亲的过敏史可能对诊断有帮助。这项研究在探索遗传性疾病的性别依赖效应方面也具有一定的开拓意义。
该研究由国立卫生研究院资助。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.03.042
PMC:
PMID:
The effect of parental allergy on childhood allergic diseases depends on the sex of the child.
Arshad SH, Karmaus W, Raza A, Kurukulaaratchy RJ, Matthews SM, Holloway JW, Sadeghnejad A, Zhang H, Roberts G, Ewart SL.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The parent-of-origin effect is important in understanding the genetic basis of childhood allergic diseases and improving our ability to identify high-risk children.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the parent-of-origin effect in childhood allergic diseases.
METHODS: The Isle of Wight Birth Cohort (n = 1456) has been examined at 1, 2, 4, 10, and 18 years of age. Information on the prevalence of asthma, eczema, rhinitis, and environmental factors was obtained by using validated questionnaires. Skin prick tests were carried out at ages 4, 10, and 18 years, and total IgE measurement was carried out at 10 and 18 years. Parental history of allergic disease was assessed soon after the birth of the child, when maternal IgE levels were also measured. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and their 95% CIs were estimated, applying log-linear models adjusted for confounding variables.
RESULTS: When stratified for sex of the child, maternal asthma was associated with asthma in girls (PR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.34-2.72; P = .0003) but not in boys (PR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.85-1.96; P = .23), whereas paternal asthma was associated with asthma in boys (PR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.42-2.79; P < .0001) but not in girls (PR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.59-1.80; P = .92). Maternal eczema increased the risk of eczema in girls (PR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.37-2.68; P = .0001) only, whereas paternal eczema did the same for boys (PR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.32-3.25; P = .002). Similar trends were observed when the effect of maternal and paternal allergic disease was assessed for childhood atopy and when maternal total IgE levels were related to total IgE levels in children at ages 10 and 18 years.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicates a sex-dependent association of parental allergic conditions with childhood allergies, with maternal allergy increasing the risk in girls and paternal allergy increasing the risk in boys. This has implications for childhood allergy prediction and prevention.
Copyright ? 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
