Abstract

The last decades we see a rapid increase in allergic diseases, especially in children (1). This is explained by the “epithelial barrier hypothesis” which describes an interrelation between environmental factors, the impact on human epithelial barriers and the effect on the immune system, causing epithelial damage and inflammation and leading to an increase in atopic diseases(2). Standard approach to managing asthma follows a cycle of evaluating asthma control and risk factors, minimizing triggers, and adjustment of medication, with inhaled corticosteroids as the primary treatment (3).
Based on the epithelial barrier concept, we studied the literature on different complementary lifestyle interventions with preventive and supporting effect on the development and/or stability of childhood asthma. Additional lifestyle interventions should be part of the asthma treatment, but knowledge is lacking. Nutritional interventions (e.g. Mediterranean diet, several immune supportive supplements and herbs) have shown to improve asthma-related outcomes through immunomodulation and some can prevent the development of childhood asthma (4,5). Asthmatic children should participate in regular physical exercise (6). Interventions like relaxation, yoga and mindfulness also have shown to have positive effects on the quality of life and lung function (7). This presentation will give professionals tools to give personalized integrative preventive and treatment advises to the care-takers and the patients with childhood asthma.

(1) EAACI
(2) Celebi Sozener, Z., Ozdel Ozturk, B., Cerci, P., Turk, M., Gorgulu Akin, B., Akdis, M., … & Akdis, C. A. (2022). Epithelial barrier hypothesis: effect of the external exposome on the microbiome and epithelial barriers in allergic disease.