Children, whose mothers lived with a dog during their pregnancy and the first months of life after childbirth, would be less likely to suffer from eczema.
- 50 to 70% of children with eczema have a first-degree relative (father, mother, brother or sister) who has had it himself.
- In the study, rates of eczema were 22% at age two and 21% at age ten.
Staying active, meeting new people, feeling less stress… Having a dog has many benefits. According to American researchers, living with this pet could reduce the risk of developing eczema during childhood. To reach this conclusion, they carried out a study published in the journal The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
789 children living with a dog were followed
As part of this work, the scientists recruited pregnant women who owned a dog and were due to give birth between September 2003 and December 2007. The participants were asked whether they kept their four-legged companion inside the home during their pregnancy and during the baby’s first year of life.
Next, the team selected 789 children under the age of two to follow the evolution of their eczema at the ages of two and ten. The toddlers were divided into four groups: those who had never had eczema, those who had it at two years of age but were cured, those who suffered from it persistently two ages and those who developed it at the age of ten.
Eczema: “prenatal and early exposure to dogs has a significant protective effect”
According to the results, 26% of expectant mothers kept their dogs inside their homes. Children, whose mothers lived with a dog during their pregnancy and up to a year after giving birth, had a lower risk of developing this skin disease by age two. However, this effect was not seen at age 10 or in children with persistent eczema.
According to the authors, exposure to a dog, specifically to the many bacteria, during the first months of life could help the child develop a healthy immune system, which can reduce inflammatory conditions such as eczema.
“Our data suggest that prenatal and early exposure to dogs has a significant protective effect on the development of eczema at or before two years of age. Since the presence of pets influences gut microbial composition infants, the lower rate of eczema in children exposed to dogs may be related to altered immune development in early life, triggered by microbial exposures.” explained Amy Eapen, author of the study.