Six year follow up of children at high hereditary risk of allergy born to mothers participating in the DOMInO Trial.

The aim of the 6 year allergy follow up is to see if taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy can reduce the development of allergies in children and how long these effects may last. At 1 year of age, we found that there were fewer children with atopic eczema and fewer children with a positive skin prick test to egg in the group whose mothers took fish oil supplements during pregnancy than those in the control group that took vegetable oil capsules. As children reach school age we expect asthma and hayfever to become more common and by examining all children at 6 years of age, we will be able see whether the effects of fish oil supplementation during pregnancy are long standing or are only seen in early childhood.