December 12th, 2017
Should the prevention of asthma be achieved, it will have major implications for public health worldwide.Asthma prevalence has rapidly increased over the last two decades,1 and cannot be explained simply by genetic change alone. It is most likely caused by a multifactorial process involving complex genetic and environmental interaction.2As the majority of people with asthma begin demonstrating signs of the disease within the first six years of life,3 it is not surprising that efforts to prevent asthma target high-risk young children. This article reviews strategies employed for this aim, including the modification of environmental factors implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma, allergen avoidance, multi-interventional strategies, immunomodulatory interventions, and use of medications.