International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2004
Multicenter StudyProspective epidemiologic study on respiratory diseases in children and immunization against measles.
A hypothesis that vaccination with live attenuated measles virus performed in early childhood may prevent allergic sensitization has been explored in the course of a 3-year follow-up study in Kraków (Poland) among 1005 school children. ⋯ Risk of allergy diagnosed by a physician in vaccinated children after adjustment to potential confounders was about half of that in the reference group (OR = 0.58 95% CI: 0.42-0.80), the same was found for asthma diagnosed by a physician (OR = 0.50 95% CI: 0.24-1.00), and for susceptibility to respiratory infections (OR = 0.51 95% CI: 0.36-0.72). Our data provide indirect evidence that infection with attenuated measles virus is able to alter immunological reactions being responsible for the manifestation of respiratory symptoms and allergy.