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Drug Cure and Gene Cause Found

Posted on: Monday, 20 March 2006, 06:00 CST

By LUCY THORNTON

ECZEMA is being cured by a drug made for TRANSPLANT PATIENTS.

And scientists have found a gene that causes most cases of the skin condition and asthma - paving the way for better cures and even prevention.

Doctors found Azathioprine, an anti-rejection drug developed 40 years ago, can combat even severe eczema by suppressing the immune system.

Dr Simon Meggitt, of Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, said: "The trial was long overdue - dermatologists had long suspected it was a treatment but no one had done a trial to find out."

Young mum Lindsay Dodds is one of the first sufferers to become eczema-free after using the drug.

The 26-year-old said: "It has changed my life, I now have a lovely little boy - who is clear of eczema thankfully - and look forward to the rest of my life.

Meanwhile, an international team led by Dundee University found one gene helps form a protective layer on the skin.

When it does not work the skin dries out and flakes off.

This can let foreign bodies in, prompting eczema as an autoimmune reaction. When that happens in the lungs it can cause asthma.

Research leader Prof Irwin McLean, of Dundee, said: "If we can identify a potential sufferer as a baby and start treating them immediately, we could be on the way to prevention."

Lucy.thornton@mirror.co.uk

Source: Daily Mirror

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