High levels of water hardness in the home could be associated with the development of eczema in infants, a new study has found. The study looked into the water hardness and chlorine concentrations of water in the home, damage to the skin's natural barrier and eczema in infants.
The study was led by King's College London and was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The subjects were 1,300 three-month-old infants from families in the United Kingdom.
RT @SoLaTiDoBlades: Hard water may increase eczema risk in infants, study says https://t.co/7hPQHz3drC via @upi
— The Eczema Company (@EczemaCompany) May 19, 2016
Infants In Hard Water Homes Up For Significant Eczema Risk
Science Daily reported that the researchers checked if the infants had childhood eczema. The infants' skin barrier function was also studied, as well as their gene responsible for skin barrier protein.
The researchers also gathered data on the frequency of bathing, use of bath products, use of moisturizers and use of a water softener. The infants living in a home with high hard water levels had an up to 87 percent increased risk of eczema, according to EurekAlert. Though not statistically significant, those with mutations in their skin barrier gene had higher risk percentages.
More Research Needed
"Interactions between hardness and chlorine levels, other chemical water constituents and the skin's microflora may also play a role, and this warrants further research," said the study's lead author Dr. Carsten Flohr as per Medical News Today. Flohr is from St John's Institute of Dermatology at King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
Flohr said that there will be a feasibility trial that will analyze if the installation of a water softener in the homes of children with a high risk for eczema when they were born can reduce the risk of the disease. The feasibility trial will also aim to see whether decreasing chlorine levels have positive effects.
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