PhD project The overall aim of this doctoral thesis is to examine the associations between perinatal stressors, antibiotics and compliance to pandemic control measures, and allergic diseases in childhood.
The environmental pressures driving the increase in prevalence of allergic diseases are not fully understood. Both genetic and environmental factors influence the risk of developing allergies and disturbances in the establishment of the microbiome have been suggested as one mediating fator. Thus, the use of antibiotics during pregnancy and infancy, and consequences of physical distancing and extensive hygiene during the covid-19 pandemic, may come at a microbial cost and compromise useful microbiota functions.
