A short history from Karelia study to biodiversity and public health interventions.

Contact with natural environments enriches the human microbiome, promotes immune balance and protects against allergies and inflammatory disorders. In Finland, the allergy & asthma epidemic became slowly visible in mid 1960s. After the World War II, Karelia was split into Finnish and Soviet Union (now Russia) territories.

Significant disparities in allergy prevalence and microbiota between the young people in Finnish and Russian Karelia.

Background: Atopic allergy has been more common among schoolchildren in Finland, as compared to Russian Karelia. These adjacent regions show one of the most contrasting socio-economical differences in the world.

Objective: We explored changes in allergy from school age to young adulthood from 2003 to 2010/2012 in these two areas.

Common environmental chemicals do not explain atopy contrast in the Finnish and Russian Karelia.

Background: Atopic allergy is much more common in Finnish compared with Russian Karelia, although these areas are geographically and genetically close. To explore the role of environmental chemicals on the atopy difference a random sample of 200 individuals, 25 atopic and 25 non-atopic school-aged children and their mothers, were studied. Atopy was defined as having at least one positive skin prick test response to 14 common inhalant and food allergens tested.

Trends and educational differences in non-communicable disease risk factors in Pitkäranta, Russia, from 1992 to 2007.

Aim: Mortality and morbidity from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major public health problem in Russia. The aim of the study was to examine trends and educational differences from 1992 to 2007 in NCD risk factors in Pitkäranta in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.

Methods: Four cross-sectional population health surveys were carried out in the Pitkäranta region, Republic of Karelia, Russia, in 1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007.

Allergy gap between Finnish and Russian Karelia on increase.

Background: Multinational time-trend analyses of atopic disease have shown that the East-West gradients in prevalence are shrinking. We set out to clarify whether the disparities in the occurrence of atopy and atopic diseases in Finnish and Russian Karelia during the past 10 years have diminished and how the prevalence of atopy has evolved with successive years of birth.

Methods: Two surveys with identical methodology were performed in 1997/1998 and 2007.