Growing up around dogs could help stop some children developing eczema, according to a new study.

一项新研究表明，在狗狗陪伴下成长或许有助于防止部分儿童患上湿疹。



Children who are already genetically prone to the skin condition were found to be less likely to develop it if they had a dog at home in early life.

研究发现，对于那些本身就具有遗传易感性的儿童而言，如果他们在生命早期（即幼儿时期）家中养有狗狗，那么他们患上湿疹的可能性就会降低。

Researchers looked at 18 possible environmental factors during a mother's pregnancy and the child's first year of life, and studied how these affected some of the genes most commonly associated with eczema.

研究人员调查了母亲孕期和孩子出生后第一年期间可能存在的18种环境因素， 并研究了这些因素如何影响一些与湿疹最常相关的基因。

In children and families who owned a pet dog, they found the risk of developing eczema disappeared for those who were more genetically prone to developing eczema.

在养有宠物狗的儿童和家庭中， 研究人员发现，对于那些更易患上湿疹（即具有遗传易感性）的儿童而言，其患湿疹的风险消失了。

Eczema is an itchy skin condition which can appear across the body, but is most common on the elbows, knees and hands. In babies and toddlers, it's also common on the face.

湿疹是一种会引发瘙痒的皮肤状况，可能出现在身体各处，但最常见于肘部、膝盖和手部。 对于婴儿和学步期的幼儿而言，湿疹也常见于面部。

Symptoms often start in babies and young children and improve as they get older, the NHS has said. It is known to worsen and ease in a cycle of "flare ups".

英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）表示，湿疹症状通常始于婴儿和幼儿时期，随着年龄增长，症状会有所改善。 众所周知，湿疹会以“发作-缓解”的周期形式恶化与缓解。

Data from almost 300,000 people was examined by an international team, led by scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the German Research Center for Environmental Health.

一个由爱丁堡大学和布里斯托尔大学的科学家、伦敦卫生与热带医学院以及德国环境健康研究中心的研究人员领导的国际团队， 对近30万人的数据进行了分析。

It is still unclear what impact having a dog can have on those who already have eczema - and experts have warned being around dogs can worsen symptoms in some children.

目前尚不清楚养狗对已经患有湿疹的人会产生何种影响——专家们警告称，与狗接触可能会加重部分儿童的湿疹症状。

Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: "We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level.

爱丁堡大学遗传学与癌症研究所的萨拉·布朗教授表示： “我们知道，遗传因素会影响儿童患湿疹的风险，而先前的研究也表明，养宠物狗可能具有保护作用， 但这是首次在分子水平上揭示这一现象可能的作用机制。”

"More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations."

“还需要开展更多研究，但我们的发现意味着我们有机会对过敏性疾病的上升趋势进行干预，以保护子孙后代。”

The study also suggested having an older sibling could reduce the risk of genetic eczema, but more studies are needed to confirm this link.

该研究还表明，拥有哥哥或姐姐可能会降低遗传性湿疹的发病风险，但还需要更多研究来证实这一关联。

Scientists believe an exposure to a variety of bacteria at an early age, such as through siblings and dogs, could be behind the phenomenon.

科学家们认为，在幼年时期接触多种细菌，比如通过兄弟姐妹或狗狗接触，可能是这一现象背后的原因。

素材来源：iYuba