Pediatria pre prax 6/2009

Eczema in infants and prenatal exposure to organochlorinated substances

Eczema diagnosis in infants is very common. Most prevalently it is atopic dermatitis, with prolonged periods of improvement and worsening. Apart from risk factors studied in relation to allergic diseases there is a discussion about effects of polluting agents such as organochlorinated substances. We have studied prenatal exposure to organochlorinated substances in 180 children using measurement of their concentrations in maternal placental tissue and subsequently by development of eczema at first year. Children from the eczema positive group were exposed to significantly higher concentrations of organochlorinated substances when compared to eczema negative group. Analysis of the most common risk factors for atopic dermatitis does not abrogate this effect. Paper attracts attention to environmental health risks represented by organochlorinated substances entering the organism mostly by food and to their potential to cause clinically relevant manifestations. It is important to study the eczema phenotype and accordingly adjust our long-term treatment strategy.

Keywords: eczema, infant, organochlorinated substances, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorinated insecticides, chlorinated benzens.