Latest news with #Allergy
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Study shows what a pet dog can do to save your child's skin from eczema
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.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Dogs could stop children developing eczema
Having a pet dog could help prevent eczema in children who are genetically predisposed to the condition, according to a new study. Academics have said having a pet dog in 'early life' could have a 'protective effect'. But they stressed the study did not look at the effect dog exposure could have on existing eczema, and cautioned that introducing a dog could make symptoms worse among some children. Atopic eczema is a common skin condition that causes itchy skin. Researchers said the condition is caused by a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, but little is known about how the two interact. 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 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 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 the findings suggest the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema. 'Gene-environment studies are crucial' 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.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
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.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
A pet dog could potentially prevent eczema in at-risk children
Having a pet dog at home could potentially help prevent eczema in children who are genetically predisposed to the condition, according to a new study. Academics said that having a pet dog in 'early life' could have a 'protective effect'. But they stressed that the study did not look at the effect dog exposure could have on existing eczema, and cautioned that introducing a dog could make symptoms worse among some children. Atopic eczema is a common skin condition that causes itchy skin. Researchers said that the condition is caused by a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, but little is known about how the two interact. 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.'
Hans India
6 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Early exposure to pet dogs may lower kids' risk of eczema: Study
New Delhi: Early exposure to pet dogs may lower the risk of developing atopic eczema -- a condition characterised by dry, itchy, and inflamed skin -- among children who are genetically prone to the condition. Eczema is an itchy skin disorder caused by a combination of genetic and environmental effects, but little is known about how the two interact. The findings provide new insights into what could cause eczema in children and how environmental factors may influence genetic risk, experts say. The study did not look at the effect of dog exposure in the treatment of existing eczema, and experts caution that introducing a dog may make symptoms worse in some children. '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,' said Sara J. Brown, from the University of Edinburgh. 'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations,' she added. For the research published in Allergy, the team analysed data from 16 European studies to test for interactions between the 24 most significant eczema-associated genetic variants and 18 early-life environmental factors. They applied their findings to an additional 10 studies and used lab modelling tests to assess their results. The first analysis (including 25,339 individuals) showed suggestive evidence for interaction between seven environmental factors (antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking, and washing practices) and at least one established genetic variant for eczema, with 14 interactions in total. In the additional analysis (254,532 individuals), dog exposure interacted with a particular genetic risk variant on chromosome 5, near the gene that codes for the interleukin-7 receptor, a protein involved in immune cell function. Lab modelling tests showed that this variant affects the expression of interleukin-7 receptors in human skin cells and that dog exposure modifies the genetic effect of this variant on the development of eczema, essentially providing a protective effect by suppressing skin inflammation.
