ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 129 Atopic Dermatitis ......................................................................................................................... 130 Ocular Allergy.............................................................................................................................. 132 Respiratory Allergy ...................................................................................................................... 133 Gastrointestinal Allergy ............................................................................................................... 136
Infant/Hypoallergenic Formulas......................................................................................... 138 Risk Assessment ................................................................................................................. 139
Immunomodulatory/Therapeutic Models .................................................................................... 140 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................... 142 Acknowledgment.......................................................................................................................... 143 References .................................................................................................................................... 143
INTRODUCTION
Allergy results from the recognition by the immune system of, and heightened reactivity toward, what are normally innocuous materials in the environment. Under normal circumstances, soluble proteins in contact with the mucosal surfaces do not provoke strong immune responses but instead induce a state of antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness. However, under other circumstances, the cause of which is yet unknown in many cases, such proteins induce allergic inflammatory responses.1
