Breast feeding and atopic eczema

Abstract

Generally mild and transient, atopic eczema may be one of the most agonising of all diseases. Its incidence appears to be rising alarmingly in Britain: 12.3% of a group of 12,555 children born in a single week in 1970 were reported by their parents to have had atopic eczema by the age of 5 years, more than twice the proportion reported in a similar study 12 years previously. The pathogenesis of atopic eczema has not been established, though dietary factors play an important causal part, at least in early childhood. The apparent rarity of the disease in the neonatal period contrasts with its peak incidence during the next five months, implying that the most important environmental factors must be operating during these early months. Interest has naturally focused on the possible importance of what the baby eats, and in particular on whether the disease is more likely to occur in infants fed cows' milk rather than breast milk. The frequently beneficial effect of avoidance of cows' milk in the established disease heightens the suspicion that infant feeding practices may have a preeminent role in its initiation.