EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON RESPIRATORY ALLERGIC DISEASE AND BRONCHIAL HYPERREACTIVITY

近年来，包括哮喘在内的过敏性疾病在日本和发达国家变得更为普遍。本研究旨在阐明过敏性支气管哮喘与特应性状态、吸入性过敏原暴露水平、个体生活方式和分子水平上的生物标志物等危险因素之间的多因素关系。在暴露于钴（一种呼吸致敏剂）的工人队列中，支气管哮喘被强调为终点，并收集了与终点相关的指数数据。研究结果提出了以下建议：接触致敏剂会增加患哮喘的风险；哮喘风险也随着敏化剂的暴露水平呈剂量依赖性增加；特应性与哮喘发病呈显著正相关；吸烟和接触致敏剂的危险加在一起会导致哮喘。这些建议有助于预防过敏性疾病。

In recent times, allergic diseases, including asthma, have become much more prevalent in Japan as well as in developed countries. The present study was aimed at elucidating multifactorial relationships between allergic bronchial asthma and risk factors involvin atopic status, exposure levels of inhalant allergens, individual lifestyles, and biological markers at the molecular level. In the worker cohort exposed to cobalt, a respiratory sensitizer, bronchial asthma was highlighted as an endpoint and data on the indices relating the endpoint were collected. The following were suggested from the results of the sutdy : exposure to a sensitizer increases risk of asthma ; risk for asthma also increases with exposure level of the sensitizer in a dose-dependent manner ; atopy is strongly positively correlated with onset of asthma ; the risk of smoking and exposure to the sensitizer combine additively in leading to asthma. These suggestions are helpful for prevention of allergic diseases.