Dogs & Eczema: Can Early Exposure Reduce Risk?
- New research suggests early exposure to dogs might reduce a child's genetic susceptibility to atopic eczema, a skin condition marked by inflammation and itchiness.
- Researchers analyzed 16 European studies, testing interactions between 24 eczema-linked genetic variants and 18 early-life environmental factors.Findings were applied to 10 additional studies and assessed via lab modeling.
- The initial analysis of over 25,000 individuals indicated interactions between seven environmental factors—including antibiotic use, cat and dog ownership, breastfeeding, having an older sibling, smoking, and washing practices—and...
Dog Exposure May Lessen Genetic Eczema Risk, Study Finds
New research suggests early exposure to dogs might reduce a child’s genetic susceptibility to atopic eczema, a skin condition marked by inflammation and itchiness. The study,published in allergy,analyzed data from multiple European studies,examining the interplay between genetic variants and environmental factors in early life to understand the advancement of eczema.
Researchers analyzed 16 European studies, testing interactions between 24 eczema-linked genetic variants and 18 early-life environmental factors.Findings were applied to 10 additional studies and assessed via lab modeling.
The initial analysis of over 25,000 individuals indicated interactions between seven environmental factors—including antibiotic use, cat and dog ownership, breastfeeding, having an older sibling, smoking, and washing practices—and genetic variants associated with eczema.
A subsequent analysis, involving over 250,000 people, revealed that dog exposure interacted with a specific genetic risk variant on chromosome 5, near the gene coding for the interleukin-7 receptor, a protein vital to immune cell function.
Lab tests showed this genetic variant impacts the interleukin-7 receptor’s expression in skin cells. Dog exposure appears to modify the genetic effect of this variant on eczema development, perhaps offering a protective effect by reducing skin inflammation.
further research is needed to validate these lab results and explore other potential interactions identified in the study.
“Our research aims to answer some of the most arduous questions that I am asked in clinic: ‘Why does my child have eczema?’ and ‘What can I do to help protect my baby?’ We certainly know that genetic make-up affects a child’s risk of developing eczema and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog might potentially be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level,” said sara J.Brown, MD, Ph.D., FRCPE, of the University of Edinburgh.
brown added that these findings offer a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease and protect future generations, though more work remains.
What’s next
future studies will delve deeper into these lab findings and the other potential interactions identified, seeking to further clarify the relationship between early environmental exposures, genetic predispositions, and the development of eczema.