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Research has led to the availability of a new over-the-counter topical eczema probiotic. The probiotic is based on the discovery by scientists that bacteria present on healthy skin called Roseomonas mucosa can safely relieve eczema symptoms in adults and children. Eczema—also known as atopic dermatitis—is characterized by dry, itchy skin that can compromise the skin's barrier, which functions to retain moisture and keep out allergens. This can make people with eczema more vulnerable to bacterial, viral and fungal skin infections. R. mucosa is a commensal bacterium, meaning it occurs naturally as part of a typical skin microbiome. Individuals with eczema...

A high sodium diet may increase the risk of eczema, according to researchers, who found that eating just one extra gram of sodium per day—the amount in a Big Mac—increases the likelihood of flares by 22%. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic disease that causes dry, itchy skin. It has become increasingly common in recent years, especially in industrialized countries, implicating environmental and lifestyle factors like diet. Sodium, which most people consume in the form of salt, increases the risk of hypertension and heart disease. And scientists recently discovered that sodium is stored in the skin, where...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease whose main symptoms are redness, swelling, and itchy rashes. It is more common in people with a genetic predisposition. The manifestation of symptoms depends on interactions among the immune system, environmental factors, and gut microbiota. Knowing how these factors correlate is fundamental to a better understanding of the disease and serves as a basis for novel therapies, according to a review. Also known as atopic eczema, AD affects 7%-10% of adults and 20%-25% of young children. A hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the significant increase in developing countries is...

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions across the U.S. has found a connection between a skin microbiome imbalance and eczema flareups. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes their study of the skin microbiome and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which has been associated with eczema. Prior research has shown that S. aureus is more abundant on the skin of people who suffer from eczema. It has also led to the discovery that people who have eczema tend to have lower concentrations of cells that assist in building up skin barriers—this is why...

A new type of asthma drug meant to attack the underlying causes of the respiratory disease slashed episodes by 87 percent in a mid-stage trial, making it a potential game changer for patients with moderate to severe disease, researchers said on Tuesday. "Overall, these are the most exciting data we've seen in asthma in 20 years," said Dr. Sally Wenzel, lead investigator for the 104-patient study of dupilumab, an injectable treatment being developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and French drugmaker Sanofi. The drug also met all its secondary goals, such as improving symptoms and lung function and reducing the need...

THE FACTS: It may not exactly be a household name, but evening primrose, a bright yellow plant native to North America, has a large following in the alternative medicine world. The seeds of the plant contain essential fatty acids, which are used to make an oil that has a variety of uses as a dietary supplement and folk remedy. Its most popular use may be for eczema, the skin condition that affects as many as one in five people. Widely marketed and easy to find, primrose oil contains gamma linoleic acid, which is thought to help reduce skin inflammation without...

Sydney researchers have discovered a new type of immune cell in skin that plays a role in fighting off parasitic invaders such as ticks, mites, and worms, and could be linked to eczema and allergic skin diseases. The team from the Immune Imaging and T cell Laboratories at the Centenary Institute worked with colleagues from SA Pathology in Adelaide, the Malaghan Institute in Wellington, New Zealand and the USA. The new cell type is part of a family known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) which was discovered less than five years ago in the gut and the lung,...

When she was a toddler, Lula Balmond’s eczema was so bad that she had to be bandaged every night to help her sleep. And when Great Ormond Street children’s hospital said they wanted to admit her for two weeks, her mother Natalie was at her wits’ end. So in desperation she concocted her own cure in kitchen –and it worked.

Young teenagers who use acetaminophen even once a month develop asthma symptoms more than twice as often as those who never take it, a large international study has found. And frequent users also had more eczema and eye and sinus irritation. Other studies have linked acetaminophen (often sold as Tylenol and in other over-the-counter remedies for pain, colds, fever and allergies) with an increased risk of asthma. But the new study’s authors cautioned that the findings did not mean children should stop using it. “Acetaminophen remains the preferred drug to relieve pain and fever in children,” said the study’s lead...

A jab that could provide a "one size fits all" approach to tackling hay fever, asthma and eczema could be available within a few years, a conference heard.Swiss researchers claimed allergies that blight the lives of 10 million British sufferers could be largely eradicated with a single vaccine. An allergy conference in London heard the “one size fits all” injection that wards off asthma, eczema, hay fever and even peanut allergies could be on the shelves within four to five years. Experts say if the jab, known only as CYT003-Qbg10 which has been tested on humans, is properly developed it...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For children at higher-than-average risk of asthma, having a dog around the house may increase the chances of developing the lung disease, a new study suggests. The study, which followed 380 children at increased risk of asthma due to family history, found that those exposed to relatively high levels of dog allergen at the age of 7 were more likely to have asthma. In contrast, there was no relationship between cat-allergen exposure and a child's risk of asthma, according to findings published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. > "Dogs tend to have a...

SOMETIMES, late at night, little Samantha Rodriguez cries in her bed. The 3-year-old's skin cracks and burns from the eczema that has plagued her since birth. And her weak, small lungs wheeze and cough from chronic asthma. Her mom, Regina Rodriguez, just holds onto her daughter, helplessly. Regina, 25, is three months pregnant now with her second child. And what her growing family needs more desperately than anything, she knows, is fresh air. Perhaps a dash of sunshine on their faces. But living in the South Bronx, bunched up amid a bus stop, factories and the malodorous traffic of the...

Government scientists, concerned that two prescription creams used widely for a common skin condition may increase the risk of certain cancers, especially among children, will propose adding strong new warnings to the product labels. A handful of cases of cancer have been reported among adults and children using the creams, sold under brand names Elidel and Protopic, and animal and laboratory studies suggest the drugs could be to blame, according to a new Food and Drug Administration analysis. "The evidence raises serious safety concerns in children regarding the potential for carcinogenicity in humans treated with these agents," wrote Jean Temeck...