NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children with theallergic skin condition eczema are at increased risk of developingasthma well into adulthood, according to a decades-long study.

Australian researchers found that among nearly 8,600 studyparticipants followed from the age of 7, those who’d had childhoodeczema were roughly twice as likely to develop asthma bymiddle-age.

It’s not clear whether the eczema directly contributed to asthmadevelopment in these cases. However, the findings do suggest acause-and-effect relationship between the two conditions, accordingto the researchers, led by Dr. John A. Burgess of the University ofMelbourne.

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