Wooldridge AL, et al. - In this systematic review, researchers investigated if prenatal growth influences susceptibility to allergy in humans. They explored 11 databases, including Web of Science, ProQuest, EMBASE, and PubMed, systematically, to identify relevant studies. In order to separate influences of fetal growth from those of prematurity, they selected only investigations that corrected for gestational age or were restricted to full-term infants. They identified 42 eligible studies, which were prospective and retrospective cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies. Findings revealed a 44% greater risk of food allergy in children, a 17% higher risk of ever allergic dermatitis in children, and a 34% greater risk of ever or current allergic dermatitis in infants up to 2 years of age, in correlation with a birth weight increase of 1 kg. Overall, a protective effect of intrauterine growth restriction against allergic diseases was suggested in humans consistent with preclinical proof but effects might vary between allergic diseases. The strongest proof was available for infancy and early childhood.