The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7301 p663
29 May 2004

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Infant infections do not confer allergy protection

Having an infectious disease early in life does not protect against the development of atopic dermatitis, despite previous research suggesting it does, according to a new study.

Using data from a Danish cohort study of 24,341 mother-child pairs, researchers found that the risk of atopic dermatitis increased with each infectious disease the child had in the first six months of its life (incidence rate ratio 1.08). Exposure to three or more siblings, day care, pet ownership and living on a farm were all found to reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis. (BMJ 2004;328:1223)