Treat Children to Prevent Adult Asthma Experts Say

April 18 - Children with the allergic skin disease eczema face a high risk of developing asthma later in life, researchers have warned. Their risk of developing allergic asthma by their 40s is nine times greater than others, according to an Australian study. Suffering from hay fever as children is also a sign of later asthma risk, researchers found. The conclusions come from a 40-year study of some 1,400 people in Tasmania, Australia.

Researchers said more needed to be done to recognise the "allergic march" from one form of allergy to another - and to take steps to prevent it. As many as 30 per cent of adults with allergic asthma may have suffered from eczema and hay fever in childhood, they say. The findings have been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Researcher Pamela Martin, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, said: "The implications of this study are that prevention and rigorous treatment of childhood eczema and hay fever may prevent the persistence and development of asthma." Dr Shyamali Dharmage, who has overseen the research project, said: "If successful strategies to stop the 'atopic march' are identified, this could ultimately save lives and health care costs related to asthma management and treatment."

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology April 4 2011 http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(11)00374-5/abstract