Good news for health - New hope for eczema treatment following discovery of three new genes
Last updated 1/3/2012 4:55:19 PM
New hope for eczema treatment following discovery of three new genes
Researchers have discovered three new genetic variants associated with the skin condition eczema, a chronic inflammatory disease that afflicts millions of patients around the world.
Previous research in Europeans had only identified two major genes, so this is a significant breakthrough that will help diagnose and treat the condition in the long term.
A team at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with 22 other studies from across the world, made this latest discovery.The research was carried out on around 10,000 cases and 40,000 controls from population-based studies in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America to identify genetic variants from across the entire genome that were associated with eczema. Thus, this is the largest study of its kind on the genetics of eczema to date.
Dr Lavinia Paternoster said: "Eczema has lagged behind other common diseases, in terms of the number of genes discovered that predispose us to the condition. Our study is, to date, the largest study in eczema that attempts to identify which genes play a role. There is still a lot of work to do, but these findings indicate which biological mechanisms are important in this condition and are an important step towards improving diagnosis, management and treatment for eczema sufferers."
Eczema, which is largely an inherited condition, affects up to one in five children in the UK and other developed countries, with eight out of 10 cases occurring before a child reaches its fifth birthday. Most children undergo remission in early adolescence, but up to 50 per cent may have recurrences in adulthood. Sixty per cent of children who have a parent with eczema also have the condition, rising to 80 per cent when both parents have it. Eczema is commonly associated with food allergy, hay fever, asthma and a range of other diseases. Treatments are limited, which can result in chronic suffering and a heavy economic burden for patients and their families.