Claw! Owning a dog can reduce the risk of children developing eczema, according to research

Owning a dog could help your future children – by reducing their risk of eczema, according to research.

US experts tracked eczema rates in nearly 800 children under the age of two and whether their parents kept a dog in the home during pregnancy or the first year of their birth.

Exposure to a dog was found to have a “significant protective effect” against children developing eczema, they claimed.

The team at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan, said the different bacteria found in dogs can support children’s immune development and help prevent the disease.

Eczema, which affects up to one in five children and one in ten adults, is an inflammatory condition that causes the skin to become itchy, dry and cracked.

Experts don’t know the exact cause, but believe it is genetic and caused by the skin’s barrier not working properly, allowing allergens to penetrate.

Exposure to bacteria in the first few months after birth can help a child develop a healthy immune system, potentially reducing inflammatory conditions such as eczema, the researchers said.

Research has shown that certain bacteria that can make eczema worse later in life can actually prevent the condition if a child is exposed to it earlier.

There is no cure, but symptoms may disappear as children get older. Doctors recommend using moisturizers for dry skin and may prescribe topical corticosteroids to reduce swelling and itching during flare-ups.

Previous studies have shown that growing up with a dog can also help protect children from developing asthma, another inflammatory condition that is more common in people with eczema.

The latest research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunologyrecruited pregnant women expecting between September 2003 and December 2007.

Doctors screened their children for eczema at ages two and ten to determine their history over time.

They were divided into four groups: those who never had it, those who had it by age two but it was gone by age 10, had it persistently at both ages, and had it by age 10 develop.

Mothers were interviewed before birth and at the end of the study to determine whether their children were exposed to dogs in the womb and during the first year of life.

Just over a quarter (26 percent) of pregnant women kept a dog at home. Eczema rates were 22 percent by age two and 21 percent by age 10.

The results showed that children whose mothers owned a dog during pregnancy and their freshman year of college had a significantly lower risk of contracting the disease by age two.

But the effect was not seen under the age of 10 or in people with persistent eczema.

Dr. Amy Eapen, an allergy expert who led the study, said the results suggest that the first year of life is “potentially the critical window” for preventing eczema.

In the journal, the researchers write: “Our data suggest that prenatal and early exposure in dogs has a significant protective effect on the development of eczema at or before the age of two.

“Because pet ownership affects the microbial composition of infants’ guts, the lower rate of eczema in children exposed to dogs may be related to altered immune system development early in life caused by the microbial exposure.”

“Clinically, our results suggest that prenatal exposure of dogs may provide protection against premature eczema.”

They admitted that they could not prove that exposure to a dog was behind the lower rates because the study was purely observational.

Parents with allergic conditions may avoid having pets, which affects outcomes.

The researchers also could not unravel whether having a dog was important during pregnancy or during the child’s first year of life, as most couples kept their dogs after their baby was born.