Longer breastfeeding may raise infants' eczema risk

Longer breastfeeding may increase the risk of a common itchy skin condition called atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema.

Atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema, or skin inflammation that runs in families and usually shows up before a baby's first birthday. Although it can last a lifetime, it often clears up by five years of age. Beyond the genetic connection, doctors don't know why some children develop it and others don't. It is widely believed that prolonged breastfeeding and delaying the introduction of solid foods have benefits with regard to atopic dermatitis, but there is no clear-cut scientific evidence.

To investigate the effect of breastfeeding and solid foods on atopic dermatitis, researchers studied 18,773 Taiwanese children when the children were 6 and 18 months old.  The parents provided relevant information about themselves, their babies, and their home environment by answering questions related to smoking habits, allergies, and their level of education. They also indicated whether their child was still breastfeeding, if and when solid foods were introduced, and whether their child had been diagnosed by a doctor to be suffering from atopic dermatitis.

After follow up, 1,050 (almost 6 percent) were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis between the ages of 6 and 18 months. It was found that longer breastfeeding appeared to increase the risk that a child would have atopic dermatitis at 18 months after controlling for other possible risk factors   such as parents' allergies, pets, mold, and exposure to secondhand smoke in the home. Delaying the introduction of solid foods did not appear to affect the risk of developing atopic dermatitis.

The study concluded that there is no evidence of a protective effect of prolonged breastfeeding and a delayed introduction of solids against atopic dermatitis among children at age 18 months, and may even be a risk factor.