Early life and intergenerational influences on immune-mediated disease risk

Early life exposures, particularly to microorganisms, have been implicated in the aetiology of a variety of immune-mediated diseases including multiple sclerosis and allergy, as well as cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. These studies use longitudinal data from national Swedish registers, to identify markers of exposure pattern in childhood associated with later disease risk. Our earlier work on immunological characteristics of breast milk indicated the importance of maternal-related exposures, so intergenerational influences are now being investigated.