From Populations to Pathways in Allergic Disease: Linking Epidemiology and Mechanisms

Allergic diseases are becoming more common worldwide, but the reasons are not the same everywhere. Asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and anaphylaxis differ across places, age groups, and social contexts, and so do the pathways that shape their onset, progression, and severity. Large cohort studies and population-based datasets have improved our understanding of these conditions, while mechanistic research has highlighted the roles of epithelial barrier dysfunction, immune development, and environmental exposures. What we still need are stronger links between these two levels of evidence: population patterns and biological mechanisms.This Research Topic brings together studies that connect who is affected, when, and under which exposures with how allergic disease develops at the mechanistic level. We are especially interested in work that moves beyond describing trends and instead helps explain them. Studies that integrate epidemiological approaches with mechanistic insight can help identify susceptible groups, clarify disease trajectories, and create opportunities for prevention, prediction, and intervention.We are particularly interested in studies that make clear how mechanistic findings matter at the population level, or how epidemiological observations can guide mechanistic discovery.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:Population trends and burden of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and anaphylaxisLife-course trajectories, multimorbidity, phenotypes, endotypes, and risk predictionEpithelial barrier dysfunction, repair, alarmins, and related immune mechanismsMicrobiome and virome influences on immune development and allergic riskEnvironmental exposures, including aeroallergens, pollution, climate change, and urbanicitySocial and structural determinants of allergic disease burden and disparitiesMulti-omics, single-cell, and causal inference approaches that connect exposures, mechanisms, and outcomesBy bringing epidemiology and mechanisms into the same conversation, this Research Topic aims to support a more precise and useful understanding of allergic disease across diverse populations.We welcome high-quality submissions of all article types within scope, including FAIR² Data submissions, which enable datasets to be published as peer-reviewed, citable resources designed for reuse and AI-ready analysis. Learn more about FAIR² here. Topic editors: Xiaozhe Yang, Zhaoxu Tu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78662/from-populations-to-pathways-in-allergic-disease-linking-epidemiology-and-mechanisms