Eczema link for bigger newborns

Newborns with a high fat mass and whose mums are prone to allergic reactions have an increased risk of developing eczema in the first year of life, researchers have found.

According to Margaret Kiely, professor of human nutrition at University College Cork (UCC), the finding could help devise strategies to prevent babies developing the distressing condition which causes the skin to become itchy, swollen, red and cracked, and for which there is currently no cure.