Childhood eczema tied to asthma risk later
29 August 2008

Children with the allergic skin condition eczema are at increased risk of developing asthma well into adulthood, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 

The study, led by Australian researcher Dr John A Burgess, began in 1968, when parents of 8,583 seven year-old children in Tasmania were surveyed about their children’s health. The children also had a medical exam. At that time, 769 were found to have eczema.

The researchers found a cause-and-effect relationship between eczema and asthma, reporting that those who had experienced childhood eczema were roughly twice as likely to develop asthma by middle age.

Another key finding points to teenage asthma risk. Children with eczema were twice as likely as their peers to develop asthma as teenagers, and 63% more likely to develop the lung condition as adults.

It’s also possible that eczema directly contributes to asthma development, the researchers say. One theory is that certain immune system cells, primed for an allergic response, might migrate from an eczema patient’s skin to tissue of the airways. That could make their airways more likely to inflame in response to an inhaled allergen, leading to asthma symptoms.
 
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK said: ‘This study builds on previous research showing a link between childhood eczema and an increased risk of asthma. Whilst this study cannot tell us exactly how the two conditions are linked, it does provide important information, showing that the effect of childhood eczema on asthma risk continues well past childhood into middle-age.
 
‘The causes of asthma are complicated, and we don’t yet know the full picture. Studies like this are therefore hugely important, providing vital clues as to how we might be able to prevent asthma in the future.’