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Allergy, Asthma Risk Shows Up in Umbilical Cord Blood

The findings suggest that high levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in a newborn's umbilical cord may be more important in development of childhood asthma and allergies than exposure or lack of exposure to allergens after birth.

IgE is an immune system response that indicates sensitization to allergens such as grass pollens, house dust mites and pet dander.

Researchers studied samples of umbilical cord blood taken from 1,300 children. The children were assessed at ages 1, 2, 4 and 10 to determine if they'd developed asthma and/or allergies. By age 4, 20 percent of the children had become sensitized to allergens. That figure rose to 27 percent by age 10.