The Role of Furry Pets in Eczema

Langan, Sinéad; Flohr, Carsten; Williams, Hywel C

doi:10.1001/archderm.143.12.1570

Cited by 74 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Studies on pets also proposed dog exposure as a protective factor [36] , while for cat exposure, the situation is less clear with much more heterogeneous results [37] . Consequently to a genetically determined skin barrier dysfunction and the aggravating effect of environmental factors, nonatopic dermatitis is the first and most prevalent manifestation of AD early in life.…”

Section: Environmental Factors and Microbial Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Atopic Dermatitis: Global Epidemiology and Risk Factors

2015

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Fifty percent of all those with atopic dermatitis develop other allergic symptoms within their first year of life and probably as many as 85% of patients experience an onset below 5 years of age Key insights Atopic dermatitis often begins in early childhood and is the first Key WordsAtopic dermatitis · Atopic march · Skin barrier defect · Immune dysregulation · Genetics · Environment Abstract Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease posing a significant burden on health-care resources and patients' quality of life. It is a complex disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and combinations of symptoms. AD affects up to 20% of children and up to 3% of adults; recent data show that its prevalence is still increasing, especially in low-income countries. First manifestations of AD usually appear early in life and often precede other allergic diseases such as asthma or allergic rhinitis. Individuals affected by AD usually have genetically determined risk factors affecting the skin barrier function or the immune system. However, genetic mutations alone might not be enough to cause clinical manifestations of AD, and it is merely the interaction of a dysfunctional epidermal barrier in genetically predisposed individuals with harmful effects of environmental agents which leads to the development of the disease. AD has been described as an allergic skin disease, but today, the contribution of allergic reactions to the initiation of AD is challenged, and it is proposed that allergy is rather a consequence of AD in subjects with a concomitant underlying atopic constitution. Treatment at best achieves symptom control rather than cure; there is thus a strong need to identify alternatives for disease prevention. • AD usually starts in early childhood and can be the initial step of the so-called 'atopic march'.• The prevalence of AD is as high as 20% in children in some countries and continues to increase, affecting now not only developed countries but also lowincome countries.• AD is a complex disease, and the relationship between allergy and AD (allergy being a cause and/or an exacerbating factor of AD) is still debated.• Genetics has recently been shown to be an important risk factor for AD, and the strongest association so far with the gene encoding filaggrin has raised the recent interest in the role of skin barrier impairment in the development of AD.• Environmental factors and specifically exposure to microbes are also recognized to play a role in the development of the disease.• AD is a multifactorial disease presenting with different endophenotypes.• The prevention of AD should start as soon as possible (possibly even in utero), targeting both skin barrier, immune/allergy and environmental aspects.

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Section: Environmental Factors and Microbial Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Atopic Dermatitis: Global Epidemiology and Risk Factors

2015

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“…Current knowledge of risk factors and biological mechanisms involved in these diseases does not allow a coherent explanation. Analyses based on systematic reviews concerning environmental risk factors of AD resulted in, for example, an increased risk of AD in children with antibiotics in the first years of life, 61 a favorable or inconsistent effect of exposure to pets, [62][63][64] and an inverse association between AD and endotoxin as well as early day care. 64 None of these risk factors was investigated in systematic reviews on IBD, T1D, and RA.…”

Section: Possible Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atopic dermatitis is associated with an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and a decreased risk for type 1 diabetes

Schmitt

Schwarz

Baurecht

et al. 2016

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

171

159

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“…33 Specific risk factors for eczema expression in the environment include furry pets; however, there is evidence that these can also have protective effects. 34 Allergic factors such as exposure to the house dust mite could be important, but non-allergic factors such as exposure to nylon clothing, dust or shampoo may also be important. 35 …”

Section: Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scoping systematic review of treatments for eczema

Nankervis

Kim

Delamere

et al. 2016

Programme Grants Appl Res

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BackgroundEczema is a very common chronic inflammatory skin condition.ObjectivesTo update the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) systematic review of treatments for atopic eczema, published in 2000, and to inform health-care professionals, commissioners and patients about key treatment developments and research gaps.Data sourcesElectronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) were searched from the end of 2000 to 31 August 2013. Retrieved articles were used to identify further randomised controlled trials (RCTs).Review methodsStudies were filtered according to inclusion criteria and agreed by consensus in cases of uncertainty. Abstracts were excluded and non-English-language papers were screened by international colleagues and data were extracted. Only RCTs of treatments for eczema were included, as other forms of evidence are associated with higher risks of bias. Inclusion criteria for studies included availability of data relevant to the therapeutic management of eczema; mention of randomisation; comparison of two or more treatments; and prospective data collection. Participants of all ages were included. Eczema diagnosis was determined by a clinician or according to published diagnostic criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias tool. We used a standardised approach to summarising the data and the assessment of risk of bias and we made a clear distinction between what the studies found and our own interpretation of study findings.ResultsOf 7198 references screened, 287 new trials were identified spanning 92 treatments. Trial reporting was generally poor (randomisation method: 2% high, 36% low, 62% unclear risk of bias; allocation concealment: 3% high, 15% low, 82% unclear risk of bias; blinding of the intervention: 15% high, 28% low, 57% unclear risk of bias). Only 22 (8%) trials were considered to be at low risk of bias for all three criteria. There was reasonable evidence of benefit for the topical medications tacrolimus, pimecrolimus and various corticosteroids (with tacrolimus superior to pimecrolimus and corticosteroids) for both treatment and flare prevention; oral ciclosporin; oral azathioprine; narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) light; Atopiclair™ and education. There was reasonable evidence to suggest no clinically useful benefit for twice-daily compared with once-daily topical corticosteroids; corticosteroids containing antibiotics for non-infected eczema; probiotics; evening primrose and borage oil; ion-exchange water softeners; protease inhibitor SRD441 (Serentis Ltd); furfuryl palmitate in emollient; cipamfylline cream; andMycobacterium vaccaevaccine. Additional research evidence is needed for emollients, bath additives, antibacterials, specialist clothing and complementary and alternative therapies. There was no RCT evidence for topical corticosteroid dilution, impregnated bandages, soap avoidance, bathing frequency or allergy testing.LimitationsThe large scope of the review coupled with the heterogeneity of outcomes precluded formal meta-analyses. Our conclusions are still limited by a profusion of small, poorly reported studies.ConclusionsAlthough the evidence base of RCTs has increased considerably since the last NIHR HTA systematic review, the field is still severely hampered by poor design and reporting problems including failure to register trials and declare primary outcomes, small sample size, short follow-up duration and poor reporting of risk of bias. Key areas for further research identified by the review include the optimum use of emollients, bathing frequency, wash products, allergy testing and antiseptic treatments. Perhaps the greatest benefit identified is the use of twice weekly anti-inflammatory treatment to maintain disease remission. More studies need to be conducted in a primary care setting where most people with eczema are seen in the UK. Future studies need to use the same core set of outcomes that capture patient symptoms, clinical signs, quality of life and the chronic nature of the disease.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

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The Role of Furry Pets in Eczema

Cited by 74 publications

References 40 publications

Atopic Dermatitis: Global Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Atopic Dermatitis: Global Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Atopic dermatitis is associated with an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and a decreased risk for type 1 diabetes

Scoping systematic review of treatments for eczema

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