Professor Jocelyne Just is a pneumo-allergo-paediatrician and professor emeritus at Sorbonne-University (attached to Inserm unit U1153). Private Collection
EXPERT’S OPINION – Professor Jocelyne Just, pneumo-allergo-paediatrician explains the allergic risk following the development of atopic dermatitis.
Severe eczema occurring in the first six months of life may be the gateway to the “atopic course” associating food and then respiratory allergies, from simple allergic rhinitis to allergic asthma.
Atopic dermatitis, more commonly known as eczema, is still a chronic inflammatory skin disease causing itching and progressing in flare-ups, but more or less serious. In its mild form, the infant’s skin becomes red, dry and covered with tiny blisters. A soap-free oil and an emollient cream are enough to reduce skin dryness and, after the age of one year, antihistamines in syrup can be prescribed to calm the sometimes intense itching, facilitating sleep.
However, even at this mild stage, parents should not hesitate to use corticosteroid creams during flare-ups. In local application for a few days, they do not cause any adverse effects for the baby, but…
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