Asthma and Allergies Through the Lifespan

Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) - Provider #21328, Activity #143687 approved for 7 CPEUs.

CPEU Course Description

Asthma is a common, chronic inflammatory disease of the airways for which the microbiomes of the lungs and gut contribute to its pathogenesis.  Although those living in developed countries are exposed to fewer and less diverse microorganisms compared with the inhabitants of developing countries, they are experiencing an increase in the incidence of asthma and allergies.  This CPEU course discusses phenotypes of asthma with respect to genetics, natural history, pathobiology, and physiology; gut and lung microbiomes of humans and their association with the pathogenesis of allergy and asthma; recommendations for management and therapy for allergic diseases and asthma in women during pregnancy and/or lactation; risk factors and preventive measures for mothers and their children; the relationship between priori selected nutrients and asthma health; the effects of choline supplementation in elderly asthmatics; the impact of climate change on respiratory health; and the allergens that are most frequently associated with severe, refractory, or life threatening asthma.

Brooke H. Dekofsky, MPH, RD, CLE, CDE was involved in the creation of this course.

Article Author:  Tara Carr, M.D., et al.

Exam writer: Tiev LaGuire, M.S.

CPEU Course Objectives

1. Enumerate what factors influence the development of the microbiomes of infants.
2. Investigate at what age the composition and function of the microbiome of the human gut stabilizes.
3. Compare and contrast the microflora hypothesis, the hygiene hypothesis, and the Western lifestyle hypothesis.
4. Examine which maternally consumed nutrients have been shown to have a protective effect on wheezing in childhood.
5. Scrutinize the correlation between cesarean section and allergies.
6. Elucidate what the first-line treatment of pregnancy-associated reflux should be.
7. Identify which conditions have been linked to asthma exacerbations during pregnancy.
8. Describe which short chain fatty acid, produced during bacterial fermentation, induces extrathymic T-regulatory generation.