UCC scientists in child allergy research breakthrough
It could also be used to intervene to prevent other allergic conditions such as asthma during childhood.
Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, it shows simple non-invasive measurements of skin barrier function in the first few days of life can predict food allergy development. The information was collected by the BASELINE cohort study, jointly funded by Ireland’s National Children’s Research Centre and UK Food Standards Agency.
Prof Jonathan Hourihane, head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at UCC, explained the study confirmed food allergies are associated with skin barrier defects, and this link can be found even before the newborn leaves the maternity unit.
“We think this research has great potential in that it not only grants us a platform to comprehend how allergies may start, but should allow us to design and develop further studies and clinical trials in the years ahead which will help us understand how to prevent allergies — right from day one .”
“These future trials potentially offer hope that the onset of lifelong allergic conditions, which has reached epidemic proportions, may be amenable to simple, early-life preventive strategies.”
The research indicates the current research focus on skin barrier preservation to prevent Atopic dermatitis (AD) in the first year may have additional and longer term benefits in food allergies and possibly asthma, as they may prevent allergy signals starting in the defective skin of very young babies, even before they get AD.
Of 1,903 babies recruited, 1,260 had food allergy assessment and tests at two years.
The link of high neonatal transepidermal water loss with later food allergy was seen when the children did not develop AD in the first two years, signifying the physical barrier deficit , rather than the presence of visible AD or intervening AD-related inflammation, is most important in facilitating early, abnormal immune responses to allergens.
