Personalized Prediction of Atopic Dermatitis Disease Course Across Diverse Settings

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a skin condition which causes dry and sore skin. It affects up to 20% of children in the UK, the US and Europe. In some children their eczema symptoms will improve and resolve as they get older, but in others the symptoms can persist throughout childhood and severely impact quality of life. If we could identify the children who are likely to go on to have persistent or severe eczema at a younger age, they could be offered more intensive or different treatment for their eczema. There have been several studies to define subtypes of eczema, such as early-onset resolving or persistent, and to try to identify which early life factors are associated with each subtype. However, the evidence so far is conflicting, and most studies have only involved children of European ancestry.
This study will analyse existing data from birth cohort studies which include children from a range of ethnic groups. Within each cohort we will investigate whether persistent or severe eczema in late childhood (compared to resolving eczema) is linked to factors such as family history of eczema, sex at birth, birth weight, ethnicity, breastfeeding and genetic factors. We will also evaluate whether we can predict whether children will develop other conditions that often co-occur with atopic dermatitis such as other allergic diseases, childhood infections, autoimmune disorders, and neurocognitive diseases in late childhood? Comparison of the findings between cohorts will identify common predictors of persistent eczema which could help target treatment to children at risk.