Weekly Eczema News Report 12/5/22: Covid 19 Eczema Flares, Eczema and Autism, Infant Eczema Prediction

This week brings lots of good news and interesting discoveries for eczema sufferers! Do Covid 19 vaccines cause eczema flares? Is there a link between eczema and the severity of autism spectrum disorder symptoms? Can AIs predict which infants will develop eczema? Read along and find out!

Do Covid Vaccines Make Eczema Flares Worse

First things first! As winter approaches, taking precautions against influenza and Covid 19 becomes more important. Eczema sufferers can breathe a sigh of relief: studies have shown that eczema flares are neither caused nor worsened by the vaccines.  

Researchers writing to the Journal for the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology have said that none of the Covid 19 vaccines causes eczema in people who did not previously have it, and few who do eczema experience flares after the vaccine. Those who did experience flares were treated easily with topical medications.

In other good news, the researchers say that Dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody treatment for severe eczema, neither interfered with the vaccine’s efficacy nor increased the likelihood of new flares after the vaccine. https://www.healthline.com/health/eczema/eczema-after-covid-vaccine

Dupilumab and Childhood Eczema

Speaking of dupilumab, new research in Europe has indicated that it is a safe and highly effective treatment for severe eczema in children between the ages of six months and five years. Research designers only admitted children with severe eczema who had not responded favorably to past treatments. Over half their subjects saw at least a 75% decrease of eczema symptoms! https://scitechdaily.com/new-medication-highly-effective-in-treating-eczema/

This is great news for children (and their parents) tormented by eczema, and more developments are on the horizon. In September, a report presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology unveiled a possible test to predict the development of eczema in infants. (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/noninvasive-skin-immune-biomarker-test-helps-predict-development-of-eczema-in-babies#A-non-invasive-way-to-predict-eczema-development)

Better yet? The test is non-invasive and relatively comfortable. The test looks for biomarkers associated with atopic dermatitis. While this is a new discovery, there are enormous possibilities for the development of preventative regimens for these children. 

AI Predicting Atopic Dermatitis

Another new prediction tool is being investigated – augmented intelligence, or AI. In collaboration with Johnson & Johnson, Swedish company SciBase will soon launch a two-year study in Switzerland to test the accuracy of SciBase’s AI-powered model, which uses algorithms to predict which infants are more likely to develop atopic dermatitis. SciBase’s ultimate goal is to prevent the development of atopic dermatitis in children who are predisposed to it. That would definitely be a win for children! https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2022/11/23/ai-powered-model-can-predict-eczema-in-babies/

Eczema Flares and Neurodevelopmental Orders

Lastly, a new study seems to indicate a correlation between eczema flares and the severity of neurodevelopmental disorders, most evident in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). https://www.psypost.org/2022/11/eczema-linked-to-increased-symptom-severity-in-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-64229

It’s been known for a long time that these disorders have a higher prevalence rate among children with ASD. However, new research has established not only a link between eczema and autism, but a link between eczema and severity of autism symptoms. According to the study’s author, Adam Guestella, having eczema “more than doubled a child’s chance of scoring on the severe end of autism symptoms…” Guestella hopes future research will establish the basis for this link and will lead to better and earlier intervention for children with ASD. 

All of this is exciting news for eczema sufferers!

If you've enjoyed this news article, you can find more in-depth posts on eczema on our blog. You can also read more news-related articles by exploring our news tag. 

- Zula Elwood