Exclusive breastfeeding and incident atopic dermatitis in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Summary Background  Breastfeeding is undisputedly preferable to formula feeding for infant nutrition because of its nutritional, immunological and psychological benefits. However, studies on the association between breastfeeding and development of atopic dermatitis (AD) have shown inconsistent resul...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of dermatology (1951) 2009-08, Vol.161 (2), p.373-383
Main Authors: Yang, Y.W., Tsai, C.L., Lu, C.Y.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergic diseases
atopic dermatitis
Biological and medical sciences
Breast Feeding
breastfeeding
Child
cohort studies
Dermatitis, Atopic - epidemiology
Dermatitis, Atopic - etiology
Dermatology
Female
General aspects
Humans
Immunopathology
Incidence
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Medical sciences
meta-analysis
Odds Ratio
Risk Assessment
Skin allergic diseases. Stinging insect allergies
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Summary Background  Breastfeeding is undisputedly preferable to formula feeding for infant nutrition because of its nutritional, immunological and psychological benefits. However, studies on the association between breastfeeding and development of atopic dermatitis (AD) have shown inconsistent results. Objectives  To examine the association between exclusive breastfeeding for at least 3 months after birth and the development of AD in childhood. Methods  An electronic literature search of MEDLINE (January 1966–May 2008) and EMBASE (1980–May 2008) was conducted. Prospective cohort studies that met the predetermined criteria were independently assessed by three reviewers. The pooled effect estimate was calculated by random effects model. Heterogeneity across the studies was investigated by meta‐regression analysis. Results  Twenty‐one studies with 27 study populations were included for meta‐analysis. The summary odds ratio (OR) for the effect of exclusive breastfeeding on the risk of AD was 0·89 (95% confidence interval, CI 0·76–1·04). Heterogeneity was found across the studies (χ2 = 83·6, d.f. = 26; P 
ISSN:0007-0963
1365-2133
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09049.x