The surprising health benefit of having a pet dog when you are a child
A new study suggests that children with a genetic predisposition to eczema may benefit from having a pet dog at home.
Researchers found that early exposure to dogs could have a protective effect against the skin condition, which causes itchy skin.
However, the academics stressed that the study did not examine the impact of dog exposure on existing eczema. They also warned that introducing a dog could worsen symptoms in some children.
Atopic eczema is typically caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but how the two interact is not well understood.
An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of Edinburgh, examined data on 280,000 people to investigate whether those who are genetically more likely to develop eczema might respond differently to environmental factors, such as pet ownership, whether they were breastfed or had siblings.
They found that children with a change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema were less likely to have the condition if they were exposed to a dog in early life.
'We detected an observational association between early-life dog exposure and reduction in prevalence of atopic eczema,' the international team of researchers wrote in the journal Allergy.
Researchers performed an initial analysis on more than 25,000 people, which suggested there could be an interaction between seven environmental factors – antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking and washing practices – and at least one genetic variant for eczema.
Secondary analysis on data on almost 255,000 people suggested that there was a 'nominally significant' link between having a dog in early years, and a variation in genetic code located near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation, called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R).
Experts said that the findings suggest that the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema.
Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: 'The most difficult questions I'm asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help.
'We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level.
'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.'
Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said 'This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don't.
'Not every preventive measure works for everyone, and that's precisely why gene-environment studies are crucial.
'They help us move toward more personalised, effective prevention strategies.'
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