Review Series 10.1172/JCI124612

Environmental exposures and mechanisms in allergy and asthma development

Liza Bronner Murrison,1,2 Eric B. Brandt,1 Jocelyn Biagini Myers,1,2 and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey1,2

1Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

2Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Address correspondence to: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 7037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. Phone: 513.636.7054; Email: Gurjit.Hershey@cchmc.org.

Find articles by Murrison, L. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar | Orcid 24x24

1Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

2Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Address correspondence to: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 7037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. Phone: 513.636.7054; Email: Gurjit.Hershey@cchmc.org.

Find articles by Brandt, E. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

1Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

2Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Address correspondence to: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 7037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. Phone: 513.636.7054; Email: Gurjit.Hershey@cchmc.org.

Find articles by Myers, J. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

1Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

2Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Address correspondence to: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 7037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. Phone: 513.636.7054; Email: Gurjit.Hershey@cchmc.org.

Find articles by Hershey, G. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar

First published February 11, 2019 - More info

J Clin Invest. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI124612.
Copyright © 2019, American Society for Clinical Investigation

First published February 11, 2019 - Version history

Environmental exposures interplay with human host factors to promote the development and progression of allergic diseases. The worldwide prevalence of allergic disease is rising as a result of complex gene-environment interactions that shape the immune system and host response. Research shows an association between the rise of allergic diseases and increasingly modern Westernized lifestyles, which are characterized by increased urbanization, time spent indoors, and antibiotic usage. These environmental changes result in increased exposure to air and traffic pollution, fungi, infectious agents, tobacco smoke, and other early-life and lifelong risk factors for the development and exacerbation of asthma and allergic diseases. It is increasingly recognized that the timing, load, and route of allergen exposure affect allergic disease phenotypes and development. Still, our ability to prevent allergic diseases is hindered by gaps in understanding of the underlying mechanisms and interaction of environmental, viral, and allergen exposures with immune pathways that impact disease development. This Review highlights epidemiologic and mechanistic evidence linking environmental exposures to the development and exacerbation of allergic airway responses.

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