Researchers, led by a team at Dundee University, UK, have identified a gene defect responsible for eczema and asthma. 60 million people globally are estimated to be carriers of this gene defect, of which probably about one million have the more severe form of eczema.
The researchers worked together at Dundee, Dublin, Glasgow, Seattle and Copenhagen.
This breakthrough may lead the way to a cure for millions of people all over the world who currently rely on medications for their asthma and eczema.
The gene in question produces filaggrin, a protein which 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 (mutated) gene produce less filaggrin than they should.
In Dundee, 50% 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% of the children with eczema they examined also had this faulty gene. In Copenhagen, researchers found that over 60% of infants who carried with faulty gene went on to develop eczema later on.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today