Establishing a birth cohort to investigate the course and aetiology of asthma and allergies across three generations - rationale, design, and methods of the ACROSSOLAR study.

Background: Atopic diseases are a major burden of disease on a global scale. Regarding their aetiology, the early years of life are assumed to play a crucial role. In addition, there is growing evidence that elucidating the impact of cross-generational effects and epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation can substantially widen the scientific knowledge of the occurrence and progression of these diseases.