WEDNESDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who develop rashes on their arms and over their joints are most likely to develop the skin disease atopic dermatitis by the time they're 3 years old, Danish researchers conclude.

Recurrent scaling, redness, and itchiness are symptoms of atopic dermatitis, which is often associated with a family history of asthma and allergies.

The study included 411 infants born to mothers with a history of asthma -- 48 percent of the mothers also had a history of atopic dermatitis. Researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital examined the babies when they were one month old and then again every six months, or if they experienced a worsening of skin or respiratory symptoms.

Of the 411 infants, 356 were followed through the entire study. Of those, 155 (44 percent) developed atopic dermatitis by age 3. It was most prevalent among girls when they were 2.5 years old and among boys when they were 2 years old.

Among the children who developed atopic dermatitis, rashes tended to begin on the scalp, forehead, neck and cheek, and then spread to the front of the legs, the back of the arms, and the rest of the face and torso, eventually reaching the back of the legs and the front of the arms.

Early rashes on the arms and over the joints were most likely to predict later development of atopic dermatitis, the study found. Rashes on the head and neck were associated with a lower risk of the skin disease. The study found no association between early rashes in the diaper area and later atopic dermatitis.

The findings appear in the May issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about atopic dermatitis.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, May 15, 2006

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