Among the children who wet the bed, 45.5 percent had been breastfed as infants, compared to 81.2 percent of the non-bedwetters. After the researchers used statistical techniques to adjust for other factors that can influence both breastfeeding and the likelihood of bedwetting, the association remained, with children who wet the bed 72 percent less likely than non-bedwetters to have been breastfed.

The effect was only seen if the children had been breastfed for three months or longer, which is consistent with other research showing that breastfeeding must be maintained for at least that long to confer other benefits. Whether or not the breastfed children received supplementation with formula had no effect on the likelihood that they would wet the bed.

To confirm that breastfeeding actually does help prevent bedwetting, Barone said, it will be necessary to follow breastfed and formula-fed children from birth to childhood. If these studies further support this hypothesis, "breastfeeding could be viewed as the first true preventative approach toward bedwetting," he and his colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Pediatrics

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Exposure to certain airborne fungal spores in early childhood may increase the risk of developing non-fungal allergies, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Conversely, some fungal types seem to protect against the development of allergies.

"It turns out that the health effects of airborne fungal spores are more complicated than we thought," one of the researchers, Dr. Tiina Reponen, said in a statement.

Reponen and colleagues examined the possible health consequences of such exposure in a study of 144 infants, published in the June 14th online issue of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

The subjects were evaluated and underwent skin prick tests for 17 allergens. They were then fitted with the Button Personal Inhalable Aerosol Sampler, (SKC), a device that samples air over 48 hours and is almost 100-percent effective in collecting particles of 1 micrometer in diameter.

Although no relationship was seen between total fungal counts and positive results on the skin prick test, there were several significant associations between types of fungi and health outcomes.

The researchers found a correlation between detection of Basidiospores and nasal infection, as well as between Penicillium and Aspergillus and testing positive for any allergen.

However, there was an inverse association between exposure to Cladosporium and having a positive skin test for any allergen.

The researchers suggest that some type of fungi increase the likelihood of developing allergies, while others may have a protective effect.

"To understand the clinical implications of these findings, Reponen told Reuters Health, "we need to continue the follow-up these children and investigate how the early exposure affects their health later in life."

SOURCE: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.