Atopic dermatitis: applying lotion prevents

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Many children suffer from neurodermatitis. But the likelihood of getting sick can be reduced with a simple measure: if you apply strong lotion to children at an early age, you will strengthen their skin and prevent the autoimmune disease.

Atopic dermatitis is a common disease - around 10 to 15 percent of children are diagnosed with this. Their number could perhaps be reduced by simple means, at least two studies suggest that Professor Thomas Werfel from the University of Hanover presented at the 10th German Allergy Congress.

In his lecture, Werfel reported on researchers who examined 124 newborns in England and the USA in a study. The children came from so-called families at risk for atopic diseases. This means that at least one parent suffered from neurodermatitis, hay fever or asthma. Since there is also a strong genetic component in these diseases, the offspring are also particularly susceptible to it.

Risk cut in half

Around half of the children were smeared with an active ingredient-free cream at least once a day between the third week of life and the sixth month of life. The parents could choose whether they wanted to use a certain oil, gel or ointment. The other half of the children remained untreated and served as a control group.

After the treatment, a comparison was made of how many children had atopic dermatitis. The result: just by putting on lotion, babies' risk of atopic dermatitis was reduced by 50 percent. There were no side effects. This is also confirmed by data from a second study from Japan. Half of the 118 participating babies were creamed up to the eighth month. Compared to untreated children, their risk decreased by 32 percent.

These are sensational data, Werfel told.Should the preventive effect of simple creams be confirmed, a simple and inexpensive measure for the prevention of neurodermatitis would have been found. “A simple tool that could be implemented in practice,” says Werfel.

Intact skin barrier

How regular application of lotion protects babies from neurodermatitis has not yet been finally clarified. "If, however, the results for the primary prevention of eczema can be reproduced in a larger number of test persons, this would be proof that a disturbed skin barrier is the pioneer of atopic dermatitis," explains Wefel. Rubbing on the skin probably supports the development of an intact skin barrier.

This would be an important discovery as it could prevent other allergic reactions as well. There is now increasing evidence that people with neurodermatitis can develop food allergies through the skin. Particles of food that come into contact with the skin could trigger sensitization. This is also conceivable for allergens in care products or bath additives. Parents should therefore wash children without soap or bath oils and only with particularly mild shampoo specially made for babies. Adults with neurodermatitis should use care products with few additives.

Breastfeeding against neurodermatitis

To protect babies from neurodermatitis, mothers can do even more: consistently breastfeed until they are six months old (if possible). If there is an increased risk of atopic dermatitis in the family, the mother can also eat a low-allergen diet to reduce the likelihood of her child getting sick.

Neurodermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. The first sign of a baby is cradle cap, which often forms yellow-brownish crusts on the scalp, forehead and cheeks. Atopic dermatitis is often related to hay fever and allergic asthma. (vv)

Sources:

Riem, L. Cremen against the “allergic march”, Springer Verlag. 2015. DOI: 10.1007 / s11298-015-5476-2.

Simpson EL, Chalmers JR, Hanifin JM, Thomas KS, Cork MJ, McLean WH, Brown SJ, et al. Emollient enhancement of the skin barrier from birth offers effective atopic dermatitis prevention. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014; 134: 818-823.

Horimukai K, Morita K, Narita M, Kondo M, Kitazawa H, Nozaki M, Shigematsu Y, et al. Application of moisturizer to neonates prevents development of atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014; 134: 824-830.e826.

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