Breakthrough for Eczema, Asthma

Breakthrough for Eczema, Asthma

In an advance that could benefit up to 60 million people around the world, scientists have identified a gene defect responsible for eczema and asthma.

The gene in question produces filaggrin, a protein that prevents skin dryness. If your body lacks filaggrin, your skin can become inflamed and you could develop eczema. Lack of filaggrin may also mean more foreign bodies entering your lungs, this can lead to asthma.

People with the faulty gene produce less filaggrin than they should.

The research was done cooperatively by investigators in Dublin, Ireland; Dundee Scotland; Copenhagen, Denmark.

In Dundee, 50 percent of 600 children who had asthma, and 300 who had eczema, were found to have the faulty gene. Researchers in Dublin found that over 60 percent of the children with eczema they examined also had this faulty gene.

In Copenhagen, researchers found that over 60 percent of infants who carried with faulty gene went on to develop eczema later on.

Experts say that the discovery should help them tackle the root cause of the problem, as opposed to just treating the symptoms, and could ultimately lead to a more targeted treatment of the condition in specific individuals.

"We see this as the dawn of a new era in the understanding and treatment of eczema and the type of asthma that goes with eczema as well," said Dr. Irwin McLean, of Dundee University's human genetics department.

"If you imagine the disease as a burning building, up until now we've just been throwing buckets of water on the roof. But now we know exactly where the fire is underneath and we can put the hoses in there and hopefully tackle the cause of the problem properly."

The study will be published in the journal, Nature Genetics.

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