ISAAC, The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, is a unique worldwide epidemiological research programme established in 1991 to investigate asthma, rhinitis and eczema in children due to considerable concern that these conditions were increasing in western and developing countries.

ISAAC has become the largest worldwide collaborative research project ever undertaken, involving more than 100 countries and 2 million children and its aim is to develop environmental measures and disease monitoring in order to form the basis for future interventions to reduce the burden of allergic and non-allergic diseases, especially in children in developing countries.

The ISAAC findings to date have shown that these diseases are increasing in developing countries and that they have little to do with allergy, especially in the developing world. Further population studies are urgently needed to discover more about the underlying mechanisms of non-allergic causes of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema and the burden of these conditions.

ISAAC News

2010 declared 'Year of the Lung'

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies has declared that 2010 will be the Year of the Lung. ISAAC supports this initiative... read more

For more information please view:
Official FIRS press release | Year of the Lung website

ISAAC Symposium Lectures – Mérida 2009

Lectures given by ISAAC Steering Committee members at the ISAAC Symposium are now available on our website read more

Latest World Map Paper Published

The Eczema world map paper, now joins the asthma and rhinitis world map papers in publication. this paper describes the global prevalence of eczema in 6-7 and 13-14 year old children...read more

ISAAC Steering Committee meeting 2009

The annual ISAAC Steering Committee meeting was held in Merida, Mexico on the 26-27th of November. Highlights have been posted...read more

ISAAC Phase Two Genetics paper published

A multi-centre study of candidate genes for wheeze and allergy. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Phase Two.
Genuneit J, Cantelmo JL, Weinmayr G, et al. Clin Exp Allergy 2009; 39: 1875-88.more

Prestigious New Appointment for Professor Williams

ISAAC Steering Committee member Professor Hywel Williams has been appointed the new Chair of the UK's NIHR Health Technology Assessment Commissioning Board...read more

Phase Three Antibiotics paper published

Antibiotic use in infancy and risk of symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in 6 to 7 year old children: ISAAC Phase Three.Foliaki S, Pearce N, Björkstén B, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2009;124:982-9.more

ISAAC Masqueraders

The IIDC has noticed a number of papers incorrectly titled as ISAAC...read more

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ISAAC on Wikipedia

ISAAC now has an article in the free encyclopedia 'Wikipedia'. View the article here.

Phase One Air Pollution released as e-publication

Ambient particulate pollution and the world-wide prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children: Phase One of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Anderson HR et al. Occup Environ Med Epub 9 October 2009. more

Phase Three Truck Traffic paper published

Self Reported Truck Traffic on the Street of Residence and Symptoms of Asthma and Allergic Disease: A Global Relationship in ISAAC Phase Three. Brunekreef B et al. Environ Health Perspect 2009; 117(11): 1791-98. more