Eczema in kids may be reduced

[Posted: Wed 23/04/2008]

Researchers have made a breakthrough which they hope will lead to a reduction in the number of babies who develop eczema.

Eczema is a group of skin complaints that can occur anywhere on the body. An estimated one in 10 people are affected at some point in their lives and symptoms can include an itchy, scaly red rash.

The condition can be particularly distressing for babies as it is difficult to stop small children from scratching the affected skin.

According to researchers, eczema usually starts in the first year of life and affects about 10% of infants. Although most children eventually grow out of it, about half go on to develop another allergic condition, such as asthma or hay fever.

However recent progress in understanding the role of gut bacteria in the development of an infant’s immune system has led to hope that some of this suffering can be prevented.

A number of clinical studies have found that certain types of bacteria, which live in the gut of babies with a family history of allergic conditions, can reduce the number of infants who go on to develop eczema.

Babies’ guts are colonised by bacteria after birth and acquiring the right balance of the different bacterial strains is important for developing effective gut immunity.

Gut immunity is the first line of defence and prevents the absorption and over-reaction to any molecule that triggers an allergy. It is already known that breast milk contains antibodies and natural prebiotics, which promote the establishment of a healthy balance of gut bacteria. Babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to develop eczema.

“New and exciting insights on how gut bacteria affect immune function are emerging from these studies, which we hope will support the use of pro- and prebiotics in primary disease prevention in the future”, explained Dr Yolanda Sanz from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology in Spain.

Prebiotics are natural compounds found in breast milk that encourage healthy bacteria in the infant gut. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can be introduced into the digestive system through food, such as yoghurt drinks.

These studies offer hope that, with the use of the right bacterial strains and appropriate prebiotic mixtures, babies’ natural defences can be boosted and their risk of eczema reduced.

“This is exciting new scientific information that suggests a fairly straightforward way to help ease the burden of this condition on infants and their families”, commented Prof Philip Calder of the University of Southampton in the UK.

The studies were presented at an International Symposium on Early Nutrition Programming in Granada.

For more on information on eczema, click on… http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/eczema/