Lukas 1

The LUKAS study

LUKAS study, conducted by the Institute for Health and Welfare THL, is a project where approximately 200 children born in 2002-2004 were followed to find out protecting effect of living in countryside. Half of the children lived at countryside and the rest in populated area. The main interest was to find out which factors explain the protecting effect for allergic symptoms of children living on countryside. LUKAS study is part of an international study PASTURE, with collaborators from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and France.

Field work

Field work contains both questionnaires and samples for six year follow up time:

• blood sample from umbilical cord at birth, 1 year old children , 4.5 year old children
• blood sample of parents
• extensive damp analysis at homes
• dust samples
• lung capasity tests
• milksamples
• skin tests
• urine samples

Peer reviewed publications of the project for period 2008-2009

1) Ege MJ, Herzum I, Büchele G, Krauss-Etschmann S, Lauener RP, Bitter S, Roponen M, Remes S, Vuitton DA, Riedler J, Brunekreef B, Dalphin JC, Braun-Fahrländer C, Pekkanen J, Renz H, von Mutius E; PASTURE Study Group. Specific IgE to allergens in cord blood is associated with maternal immunity to Toxoplasma gondii and rubella virus. Allergy. 2008 Nov;63(11):1505-11.

2) Pfefferle PI, Sel S, Ege MJ, Büchele G, Blümer N, Krauss-Etschmann S, Herzum I, Albers CE, Lauener RP, Roponen M, Hirvonen MR, Vuitton DA, Riedler J, Brunekreef B, Dalphin JC, Braun-Fahrländer C, Pekkanen J, von Mutius E, Renz H; PASTURE Study Group. Cord blood allergen-specific IgE is associated with reduced IFN-gamma production by cord blood cells: the Protection against Allergy-Study in Rural Environments (PASTURE) Study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Oct;122(4):711-6.

3) Ege MJ, Herzum I, Büchele G, Krauss-Etschmann S, Lauener RP, Roponen M, Hyvärinen A, Vuitton DA, Riedler J, Brunekreef B, Dalphin JC, Braun-Fahrländer C, Pekkanen J, Renz H, von Mutius E; Protection Against Allergy Study in Rural Environments (PASTURE) Study group. Prenatal exposure to a farm environment modifies atopic sensitization at birth. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Aug;122(2):407-12

4) Lappalainen MH, Roponen M, Hyvärinen A, Nevalainen A, Laine O, Pekkanen J, Hirvonen MR. Exposure to environmental bacteria may have differing effects on tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6-producing capacity in infancy. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008 Sep;38(9):1483-92.

5) Gehring U, Spithoven J, Schmid S, Bitter S, Braun-Fahrländer C, Dalphin JC, Hyvärinen A, Pekkanen J, Riedler J, Weiland SK, Büchele G, von Mutius E, Vuitton DA, Brunekreef B; PASTURE study group. Endotoxin levels in cow's milk samples from farming and non-farming families - the PASTURE study. Environ Int. 2008 Nov;34(8):1132-6

6) Lappalainen M, Roponen M, Pekkanen J, Huttunen K, Hirvonen MR. Maturation of cytokineproducing capacity from birth to 1 yr of age. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2009; 20:714-725.

7) Karvonen AM, Hyvärinen A, Roponen M, Hoffmann M, Korppi M, Remes S, von Mutius E, Nevalainen A and Pekkanen J. Confirmed Moisture Damage at Home, Respiratory Symptoms and Atopy in Early Life: A Birth-Cohort Study. Pediatrics 2009; 124(2):E329-E3383)

8) Sudre B, Vacheyrou M, Braun-Fahrländer C, Normand AC, Waser M, Reboux G, Ruffaldi P, von Mutius E, Piarroux R;High levels of grass pollen inside European dairy farms: a role for the allergy-protective effects of environment? PASTURE study group. Allergy 2009;64(7): 1068 -73.