Key clinical point: Environmental conditions characterized by the month of birth affect the risk of developing eczema and atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants until 1 year of age.
Major finding: With infants born in spring as a reference, those born in autumn had the highest risk for eczema at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.19; 95% CI 2.10-2.30 ) and 1 year (aOR 1.08; 95% CI 1.02-1.14 ) of age and for physician-diagnosed AD up to 1 year of age (aOR 1.33; 95% CI 1.20-1.47 ), whereas those born in summer had the highest risk for eczema at the age of 1 month (aOR 1.19; 95% CI 1.14-1.24 ).
Study details: This study analyzed the data of 81,615 infants from a prospective birth cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS).
Disclosures: The JECS is supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan . The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Tsuchida A et al. Season of birth and atopic dermatitis in early infancy: Results from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. BMC Pediatr. 2023;23(1):78 (Feb 15). Doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-03878-6