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Sensitization to airborne environmental allergens: unresolved issues

Despite considerable advances in identifying the environmental agents that trigger allergy and the immunological mechanisms involved, progress in developing effective treatments remains frustratingly slow. Is it time to rethink some of the paradigms guiding this research?

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Figure 1: As a consequence of the shape of the exposure–risk curve, reducing exposure in the high exposure range (a; arrow indicates direction) increases the risk for sensitization.

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Holt, P., Thomas, W. Sensitization to airborne environmental allergens: unresolved issues. Nat Immunol 6, 957–960 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1005-957

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