A pet dog could prevent common condition in children

HAVING A PET DOG AT HOME COULD HELP KIDS MOST AT RISK OF THE DEBILITATING CONDITION 12:26, 04 Jun 2025 Having a pet dog could offer a surprising health benefit by altering some children’s

immune systems. New research suggests that having a dog at home could help to prevent eczema in children who are genetically prone to the condition. Eczema is a very common skin condition

affecting at least one in every five children, according to the NHS Great Ormond Street Hospital. It makes the skin very itchy, red, dry and cracked, and there is no known cure. Some

children have a certain change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema. However, a new study found that these kids were less likely to have the condition if they were

exposed to a dog in early life. Article continues below The findings provide new insights into what could cause eczema in children and how environmental factors may affect this risk. Experts

warn that introducing a dog may make symptoms worse in some children, as the research did not look into the effect of pet dogs on children with existing eczema. Professor Sara Brown, from

the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: "The most difficult questions I’m asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can

help. "We know that genetic make-up affects a child’s risk of developing eczema and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to

show how this may occur at a molecular level. "More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future

generations." The researchers looked at data from nearly 300,000 people to work out whether those who are prone to eczema might respond differently to environmental factors. They tested

the effects of 18 early life environmental factors during the mother’s pregnancy and the child’s first year of life, including owning a dog or cat, having an elder sibling, breastfeeding,

smoking, antibiotic use and washing practices. The strongest interaction found was between a part of DNA that increases the risk of eczema. However, in children or babies whose families

owned a pet dog, that risk disappeared. The genetic variation is seen near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation, called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R). The findings

suggest that the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema, experts say. Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said: "This study sheds

light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don’t. Article continues below "Not every preventive measure works for everyone – and

that’s precisely why gene–environment studies are crucial. They help us move toward more personalized, effective prevention strategies." The study was led by scientists from the

Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Helmholtz Munich. The paper was published in the journal _Allergy_.