Chan Carmen Wing Han, Leung Ting Fan, Choi Kai Chow, Tsui Stephen Kwok Wing, Chan Judy Yuet Wa
The Nethersole School of Nursing.
Department of Paediatrics.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 May 22;99(21):e20327. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000020327.
Eczema is a relapsing and persistent inflammatory skin disease affecting about one-fifth of children worldwide. As in other developed countries, the prevalence of this chronic disease in Hong Kong is approximately 30%. Moreover, the number of local cases reported has been on a rising trend since 1995. Eczema frequently starts in early infancy. A total of 45% of all cases begin within the first six months of life, 60% during the first year and 85% before the age of 5. The pathophysiology of eczema is multi-factorial and is a complex inter-relationship between skin barrier, genetic predisposition, immunologic development, microbiome, environment, nutrition, and pharmacological and psychological factors.
To characterize the longitudinal changes of gut microbial profile in early childhood and to examine the association between gut microbiome diversity, environmental factors and the development of eczema in early childhood.
We will conduct a longitudinal cohort study that follows 1250 Hong Kong Chinese infants for 2 years and assess the gut microbiome and other potential environmental factors in the aetiology of eczema. Parents will be asked to provide demographic data, their infant birth data, allergy condition, diet, environmental conditions as well as the data on maternal stress. Stool specimen will be collected for gut microbiome diversity analysis. We will examine newborn infants at enrollment, at 4 months, 1 year and 2 years after birth.
This study will evaluate the association between gut microbiome, environmental factors and the development of eczema in Chinese infants. Findings from this study may be used to develop a predictive path model to guide effective health promotion, disease prevention and management.
湿疹是一种复发性、持续性炎症性皮肤病，全球约五分之一的儿童受其影响。与其他发达国家一样，香港这种慢性病的患病率约为30%。此外，自1995年以来，本地报告的病例数呈上升趋势。湿疹常始于婴儿早期。所有病例中，45%在出生后的头六个月内发病，60%在一岁内发病，85%在5岁前发病。湿疹的病理生理学是多因素的，是皮肤屏障、遗传易感性、免疫发育、微生物群、环境、营养以及药理和心理因素之间的复杂相互关系。
描述幼儿期肠道微生物谱的纵向变化，并研究肠道微生物群多样性、环境因素与幼儿期湿疹发生之间的关联。
我们将进行一项纵向队列研究，对1250名中国香港婴儿进行为期2年的跟踪，评估肠道微生物群及湿疹病因中其他潜在的环境因素。将要求家长提供人口统计学数据、婴儿出生数据、过敏情况、饮食、环境状况以及母亲压力数据。将收集粪便样本进行肠道微生物群多样性分析。我们将在入组时、出生后4个月、1岁和2岁时对新生儿进行检查。
本研究将评估中国婴儿肠道微生物群、环境因素与湿疹发生之间的关联。本研究的结果可用于建立预测路径模型，以指导有效的健康促进、疾病预防和管理。
