Breast-feeding increases the risk of atopic dermatitis by 60% British study shows. (7,000 Infants Studied).

PORTLAND, ORE. -- Contrary to widely held notions, breast-feeding is associated not with a lower risk of atopic dermatitis, but with a 60% greater one, Dr. Clive B. Archer said at an international symposium on atopic dermatitis.

In a survey of more than 7,000 infants followed for 42 months, the children who were reported to have been breast-fed for 6 months had an odds ratio of developing atopic dermatitis of 1.60, compared with an odds ratio of 1.00 for those children who were never breast-fed, said Dr. Archer of the University of Bristol, (England).

Even for children breast-fed for only 1 month, the odds ratio of developing eczema was 1.37, he said at the conference.

The study, part of a government-funded study looking at a number of health questions, enrolled every infant born in the county of Avon between April 1991 and December 1992, a total of 14,585 infants.

Of those, 12,000 were followed at least 42 months; complete information pertaining to breast-feeding and atopic dermatitis was obtained on 7,753 children.

Of the children in the study 78% were breast-fed for at least i month, according to their mothers' reports.

The children considered to have atopic dermatitis were those whose mothers reported that the child had had a dry itchy rash over the joints or in the body creases more than once--27% of enrolled children.