Primary prevention of asthma in atopic infants.

The prevention of asthma essentially concerns allergic and infec tions fact ors and is exerted at several levels, defining primary, secondary and terti ary prevention. Primary and secondary prevention of allergic asthma consist s of antenatal and postnatal smoking cessation, interventions on maternal d iet and the infant's diet (breastfeeding, dietary diversification, hypoalle rgenic milk, hydrolysed mirk), action on the domestic and external environm ent. These preventive measures can be either isolated or associated, i.e. m ore global and consequently more constraining). The combination of dietary measures in mothers (during pregnancy and breastfeeding) and children (for the first 2 years of life), strict control of the domestic environment and elimination of passive smoking gives favourable results in neonates and inf ants at high-risk of allergy.