PARSIFAL study group &
anthroposophic lifestyle
citations
[back] Measles
Alfvén T, et al. PARSIFAL study group.
Allergic diseases and atopic sensitization in children related to farming and
anthroposophic lifestyle--the PARSIFAL study. Allergy. 2006
Apr;61(4):414-21. Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased rapidly in recent
decades, particularly in children. For adequate prevention it is important not
only to identify risk factors, but also possible protective factors. The aim of
this study was to compare the prevalence of allergic diseases and sensitization
between farm children, children in anthroposophic families, and reference
children, with the aim to identify factors that may protect against allergic
disease. METHODS: The study was of cross-sectional design and included 14,893
children, aged 5-13 years, from farm families, anthroposophic families
(recruited from Steiner schools) and reference children in Austria, Germany, The
Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. A detailed questionnaire was completed and
allergen-specific IgE was measured in blood. RESULTS: Growing up on a farm was
found to have a protective effect against all outcomes studied, both
self-reported, such as rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing, atopic eczema and asthma
and sensitization (allergen specific IgE > or = 0.35 kU/l). The adjusted odds
ratio (OR) for current rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms was 0.50 (95% confidence
interval (CI) 0.38-0.65) and for atopic sensitization 0.53 (95% CI 0.42-0.67)
for the farm children compared to their references. The prevalence of
allergic symptoms and sensitization was also lower among Steiner school children
compared to reference children, but the difference was less pronounced and
not as consistent between countries, adjusted OR for current rhinoconjunctivitis
symptoms was 0.69 (95% CI 0.56-0.86) and for atopic sensitization 0.73 (95% CI
0.58-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that growing up on a farm, and to
a lesser extent leading an anthroposophic life style may confer protection from
both sensitization and allergic diseases in childhood. PMID: 16512802 [PubMed -
indexed for MEDLINE]
Alm JS, Swartz J, Lilja G, Scheynius A, Pershagen G. Atopy in
children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle. Lancet. 1999 May
1;353(9163):1485-8. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute and
Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Johan.Alm@sos.ki.se
BACKGROUND: Increased prevalence of atopic disorders in children may be
associated with changes in types of childhood infections, vaccination
programmes, and intestinal microflora. People who follow an anthroposophic way
of life use antibiotics restrictively, have few vaccinations, and their diet
usually contains live lactobacilli, which may affect the intestinal microflora.
We aimed to study the prevalence of atopy in children from anthroposophic
families and the influence of an anthroposophic lifestyle on atopy prevalence.
METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 295 children aged 5-13 years at two
anthroposophic (Steiner) schools near Stockholm, Sweden, were compared with 380
children of the same age at two neighbouring schools in terms of history of
atopic and infectious diseases, use of antibiotics and vaccinations, and social
and environmental variables. Skin-prick tests were done for 13 common allergens,
and we took blood samples from children and their parents for analysis of
allergen-specific serum IgE-antibodies. FINDINGS: At the Steiner schools, 52% of
the children had had antibiotics in the past, compared with 90% in the control
schools. 18% and 93% of children, respectively, had had combined immunisation
against measles, mumps, and rubella, and 61% of the children at the Steiner
schools had had measles. Fermented vegetables, containing live lactobacilli,
were consumed by 63% of the children at Steiner schools, compared with 4.5% at
the control schools. Skin-prick tests and blood tests showed that the children
from Steiner schools had lower prevalence of atopy than controls (odds ratio
0.62 [95% CI 0.43-0.91]). There was an inverse relation between the number of
characteristic features of an anthroposophic lifestyle and risk of atopy (p for
trend=0.01). INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of atopy is lower in children from
anthroposophic families than in children from other families. Lifestyle factors
associated with anthroposophy may lessen the risk of atopy in childhood. PMID:
10232315 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Flöistrup H, et all. Allergic disease and sensitization in
Steiner school children. The Parsifal Study Group .J Allergy Clin
Immunol. 2006 Jan;117(1):59-66. Epub 2005 Nov 28. Institute of Environmental
Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Helen.Floistrup@ki.se
BACKGROUND: The anthroposophic lifestyle has several features of interest in
relation to allergy: for example, a restrictive use of antibiotics and certain
vaccinations. In a previous Swedish study, Steiner school children (who often
have an anthroposophic lifestyle) showed a reduced risk of atopy, but specific
protective factors could not be identified. OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors
that may contribute to the lower risk of allergy among Steiner school children.
METHODS: Cross-sectional multicenter study including 6630 children age 5 to 13
years (4606 from Steiner schools and 2024 from reference schools) in 5 European
countries. RESULTS: The prevalence of several studied outcomes was lower in
Steiner school children than in the reference group. Overall, there were
statistically significant reduced risks for rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic eczema,
and atopic sensitization (allergen-specific IgE > or =0.35 kU/L), with some
heterogeneity between the countries. Focusing on doctor-diagnosed disease, use
of antibiotics during first year of life was associated with increased risks of
rhinoconjunctivitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.97; 95% CI, 1.26-3.08), asthma (OR,
2.79; 95% CI, 2.03-3.83), and atopic eczema (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.22-2.17). Early
use of antipyretics was related to an increased risk of asthma (OR, 1.54; 95%
CI, 1.11-2.13) and atopic eczema (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.02-1.71). Children
having received measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination showed an increased risk
of rhinoconjunctivitis, whereas measles infection was associated with a lower
risk of IgE-mediated eczema. CONCLUSION: Certain features of the
anthroposophic lifestyle, such as restrictive use of antibiotics and
antipyretics, are associated with a reduced risk of allergic disease in
children. PMID: 16387585 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]