Infants with eczema may be more prone to peanut allergies


A recent study has shown that exposure to peanut proteins in household dust may increase the risk of peanut allergies in infants with eczema. The study, which included 359 babies aged between 3 and 15 months, found that exposure to peanut proteins in household dust early in life doubled a child's risk of peanut allergy, and that the risk was highest among children with eczema.

The study’s first author, Dr. Helen Brough of the department of paediatric allergy at King's College London, explained that the increased risk of peanut allergy in children with eczema is most likely caused by a “damaged skin barrier” causing greater exposure to peanuts in those children. She also said that the study’s findings are supported by existing evidence – for example, a previous study has shown that “infants with eczema treated with creams containing peanut oil in the first six months of life had a higher risk of developing peanut allergy later in life".

The researchers went on to suggest that the findings support a hypothesis called the dual-allergen-exposure theory, which suggests that food allergies such as peanut allergy develop through the skin’s exposure to allergens – and that this is exacerbated by disruptions to the skin barrier, such as those that develop in children with eczema. Conversely, it is suggested that consumption of those allergens builds up the body’s tolerance to them. Another of the study’s authors, Gideon Lack, summarized that "it may be that the timing and balance of skin and oral exposure to a particular food early in life determines whether a child develops an allergy or tolerance to that food."

Study published online Nov. 18 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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Next review: 9 February 2019