Eczema, a relapsing and persistent inflammatory skin disease, affects about one-fifth of children globally. In Hong Kong, its prevalence is reported to be approximately 30%.  Eczema mostly starts in early infancy, with 45% of all cases beginning within the first six months of life, 60% during the first year and 85% before the age of 5.

The pathophysiology of eczema is described to be multi-factorial, with a complex inter-relationship between skin barrier, genetic predisposition, immunologic development, microbiome, environment, nutrition, and pharmacological and psychological factors.

A study is being carried out to characterize the longitudinal changes of gut microbial profile in early childhood and to examine the association between gut microbiome diversity, environmental factors and the development of eczema in early childhood.

The study is expected to evaluate the association between the gut microbiome, environmental factors and the development of eczema in Chinese infants.  The study will provide evidence on the factors associated with the early development of eczema. Its results may lead to other descriptive and interventional studies that will evaluate different approaches to prevent, treat and manage the disease of eczema.

The findings from this study will prove beneficial in developing a predictive path model to guide effective health promotion, disease prevention and management.

Since prevention is the best way to manage eczema, it is important to identify and avoid symptom triggers, such as allergens or improper diet. Improving immunity and reducing inflammation proves beneficial in long term to the affected people, especially the infants. Therefore, identifying the association of early-life gut microbiome, environmental, lifestyle and maternal stress risk factors in the development of eczema is important. 

Source: Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(21):e20327.doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000020327