The Exposome Approach in Allergies and Lung Diseases: Is It Time to Define a Preconception Exposome?

Juan Pablo López-Cervantes, Marianne Lønnebotn, Nils Oskar Jogi, Lucia Calciano, Ingrid Nordeide Kuiper, Matthew G Darby, Shyamali C Dharmage, Francisco Gómez-Real, Barbara Hammer, Randi Jacobsen Bertelsen, Ane Johannessen, Anne Mette Lund Würtz, Toril Mørkve Knudsen, Jennifer Koplin, Kathrine Pape, Svein Magne Skulstad, Signe Timm, Gro Tjalvin, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann, Simone Accordini, Vivi Schlünssen, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Cecilie Svanes

Journal: International journal of environmental research and public health 2021;18(23):12684

PMID: 34886409

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Abstract

Emerging research suggests environmental exposures before conception may adversely affect allergies and lung diseases in future generations. Most studies are limited as they have focused on single exposures, not considering that these diseases have a multifactorial origin in which environmental and lifestyle factors are likely to interact. Traditional exposure assessment methods fail to capture the interactions among environmental exposures and their impact on fundamental biological processes, as well as individual and temporal factors. A valid estimation of exposure preconception is difficult since the human reproductive cycle spans decades and the access to germ cells is limited. The exposome is defined as the cumulative measure of external exposures on an organism (external exposome), and the associated biological responses (endogenous exposome) throughout the lifespan, from conception and onwards. An exposome approach implies a targeted or agnostic analysis of the concurrent and temporal multiple exposures, and may, together with recent technological advances, improve the assessment of the environmental contributors to health and disease. This review describes the current knowledge on preconception environmental exposures as related to respiratory health outcomes in offspring. We discuss the usefulness and feasibility of using an exposome approach in this research, advocating for the preconception exposure window to become included in the exposome concept.

Address: Center for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy.; Department of Pediatrics, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine and Division of Immunology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.; School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukeland University Hospital, 5053 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Pulmonology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Center for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.; Danish Ramazzini Centre, Department of Public Health-Work, Environment and Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.; School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.; Department of Occupational Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark.; Research Unit, Kolding Hospital, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, 6000 Kolding, Denmark.; Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, 23845 Borstel, Germany.; Danish Ramazzini Centre, Department of Public Health-Work, Environment and Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.; National Research Centre for the Working Environment, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312684

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MeSH Terms: Environmental Exposure, Exposome, Humans, Hypersensitivity, Life Style, Lung Diseases