Kids with itchy eczema at risk of asthma

NEW YORK: Although youngsters who have the itchy, allergy-related skin condition known as eczema tend to show improvement over time, such children are at increased risk of developing asthma and hayfever, according to Swedish researchers.

In infants and young children, eczema manifests as intensely itchy, red patches that can ooze and crust over. The condition is treated with ointments and antihistamines, and avoidance of allergens that trigger the condition.

In a new study, Dr. Dan Gustafsson of Orebro Medical Centre Hospital in Sweden and colleagues followed 94 children with eczema from an age of about 17 months to 7 years. At the end of the study, eczema improved in 82 of the children, but by then 43% had asthma and 45% had hayfever (a condition known medically as allergic rhinitis), according to the report in the March issue of Allergy.

In addition, only 14 children had never experienced symptoms of asthma or runny nose and swollen eyes triggered by allergies. Those youngsters with family members with eczema or a particularly severe case of the skin condition had a higher risk of developing asthma than other children in the study. An ``even higher'' risk of asthma development was found in children who showed sensitivity to certain food allergens before 36 months of age.

On the other hand, feeding patterns during infancy -- such as early weaning from breast milk -- and the time of eczema onset did not increase the risk of developing asthma. ``In conclusion, our study has confirmed the good prognosis of childhood eczema, but also the increased risk of developing respiratory allergy,'' the authors write.