Postdoctoral researcher Aino Rantala along with Professor Jouni J. K. Jaakkola and Professor Maritta S. Jaakkola have published an article in Plos One. The title of the article is “Respiratory infections in adults with atopic disease and IgE antibodies to common aeroallergens” and it can be found from the journal website. This study is part of the Finnish Environment and Asthma Study (FEAS), a population-base case-control study of 521 adults with newly onset asthma and 932 control subjects, directed by Maritta Jaakkola.

This study provides new evidence that working-aged adults with atopic disease experience significantly more lower and upper respiratory infections than non-atopics. The occurrence of respiratory infections increased with increasing levels of specific IgE antibodies to common aeroallergens, showing a dose-response pattern with lower respiratory infections. From the clinical point of view it is important to recognize that those with atopies are a risk group for respiratory infections.

Rantala A, Jaakkola JJ, Jaakkola MS. Respiratory Infections in Adults with Atopic Disease and IgE Antibodies to Common Aeroallergens. PLoS One. 2013 Jul 19;8(7):e68582. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068582.