Has Decreased Infection Load Of Infants Led To Increased Allergic And Autoimmune Diseases?

The starting point of the hygiene hypothesis is that the decreasing infection load of infants in the developed countries leads to an increase in allergic and autoimmune diseases. Such development has been observed practically in all industrialized countries after the Second World War. Now an extensive research project begins to establish how the living environment affects the development and maturation of a child's immune system.