Moisturiser may prevent baby asthma, study shows
Gene defect thought to trigger asthma and allergies Asthma and allergies can be triggered by an unknown substance that comes into the body through dry skin in babies, according to a new study from the Danish Children’s Asthma Centre. The...
Asthma and allergies can be triggered by an unknown substance that comes into the body through dry skin in babies, according to a new study from the Danish Children’s Asthma Centre.
The study shows that babies with dry skin due to a particular genetic error develop eczema, and the problems such as asthma and allergies later.
“Environmental factors probably come in early and ‘program’ the body to create eczema, asthma and allergies,” said Klaus Bønnelykke, senior researcher at COPSAC (Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood) and the Danish Children’s Asthma Centre at Gentofte Hospital.
Bønnelykke said the researchers did not know what caused the condition to occur, but suspected it might be brought on by chemicals, microbes or pollution.
The discovery of the chronological relationship between eczema, asthma and allergy due to the defective gene could result in improved methods to prevent them.
“We don’t have any good methods of predicting or diagnosing asthma among young children, because we can’t measure lung capacity. We hope that genetic tools can help us,” Bønnelykke said.
In the meantime, he said intensive use of a moisturiser or eczema treatments for treatments could help stave off asthma later in life.