Allergies in children are becoming more common. Come and hear expert clinicians and scientists at City St George’s explain why is this happening and what can be done.
Why are childhood allergies increasing – and can we prevent them?
Food allergy, eczema, asthma and hay fever affect increasing numbers of children. But what actually is an allergy? Why does our immune system usually tolerate harmless foods and yet sometimes react to them? And why are allergies becoming more common?
Join the Paediatric Allergy team at City St George’s, University of London and St George’s Hospital, for an accessible exploration of childhood allergy and the research that could change how we prevent and treat it.
We will begin by looking at the immune system: how it learns to distinguish genuine threats from harmless everyday exposures, and what happens when this process goes wrong.
About this event
Everyone is welcome and no scientific knowledge is needed. Come along to hear about the research, ask questions, share experiences and discuss the future of childhood allergy directly with the Paediatric Allergy team.
Refreshments will be available from 5pm, with the event taking place from 5:30pm to 7pm.
This event will take place on our Tooting campus in rooms H0.1 and H0.2 (Ground Floor, Hunter Wing).
Event programme
This event will include the following discussions.
The peanut allergy story
Advice about feeding babies has changed dramatically. Research including the EAT Study, involving more than 1,300 babies, investigated whether introducing allergenic foods early in infancy could prevent food allergy. We will explore what this research has taught us about how the developing immune system learns to tolerate foods.
Could bathing babies affect eczema?
Our skin is an important defence against the outside world, and damage to the skin barrier may contribute to eczema and food allergy. Our BabyBathe research asks a surprisingly simple question: could how often and how intensively we bathe babies affect their risk of developing eczema?
A parent’s perspective
What does childhood allergy actually mean for families. Hear from a family taking part in our groundbreaking treatment for children with peanut allergy
What does the future hold?
Could we move from treating allergies to preventing them from developing? We will look at how research into infant feeding, skin, environment and the developing immune system could provide new approaches to prevention.
Attendance at City St George's events is subject to our terms and conditions.