|
Kids who are overly hygienic
appear to be at increased risk of developing wheezing -- a symptom of
asthma -- and the allergy-related skin condition eczema.
The investigators found that
children with the highest degree of personal hygiene -- those who washed
their faces and hands more than five times per day, cleaned before meals,
and bathed more than two times each day -- were the most likely to develop
eczema and wheezing between the ages of 30 and 42 months.
The relationship between hygiene
and allergies spanned different hygiene levels. As the level of hygiene
increased, so did the risk of developing eczema or wheezing.
Increasing levels of hygiene
appeared to be especially linked to a risk of developing severe eczema.
In infants and young children, eczema manifests as intensely itchy, red
patches that can ooze and crust over.
The link between hygiene and
allergies is in step with the so-called "hygiene hypothesis"
-- the theory that a lower exposure to germs affects the immune system's
development in such a way that it is more prone to allergic reactions.
For example, previous studies
have found that adults who had grown up on a farm were less likely to
develop allergies, while young children exposed to older siblings at home
and those who attend day care also have a lower risk of allergies and
asthma.
Archives
of Disease in Childhood June 2002;87:26-29
| 