As a parent, Eric Short says he’d do anything to stop his son Gage’s asthma attacks. “I wish we could do something to prevent the frightening feeling, but you’re completely helpless. I’m looking at him and he can’t breathe, his lips are turning blue. Sometimes we have to rush him to the emergency room,” says Eric. Gage, who is 3 years old, has been battling asthma for the past year and a half. In addition to his asthma, Gage also suffers from eczema, a common skin disease that includes different types of red, itchy rashes and bumps on the skin. It’s called an atopic rash, meaning there is excess inflammation in the skin and the linings of the nose and lungs. Often associated with allergies, the dual problem of asthma and eczema can make childhood a difficult time for some children. Doctors at the National Jewish Hospital and Research Center in Denver are now using the connections between asthma and eczema, and trying to develop a cure for asthma. They are testing the theory that by treating infant eczema with this non-steroidal skin cream, Elidel, perhaps it will prevent the development of asthma, because both problems, eczema and asthma, are abnormal autoimmune reactions. Babies with eczema and a family history of allergic disease have a 50% chance of developing asthma later on in life, so the asthma may in fact have its roots in an immune response in the skin starting with eczema. Elidel suppresses the immune system locally in the skin. It is currently FDA approved to treat eczema in adults and children 2 years and older, but is being used experimentally in the youngest of children. Desperate not to have his younger son Cole develop asthma, Eric enrolled him in the study. “We don’t know what to expect so it’s very scary. Hopefully this will work for Cole,” says Eric. Dr. Mark Boguniewicz is leading the multi-center study. According to Dr. Boguniewicz, “We are enrolling children within 3 months of being diagnosed. We are at the beginning of this very atopic treatment before there are any signs yet of asthma or allergic reaction.” The thinking is that the Elidel will stop an immune reaction in the skin and thus prevent a crossover effect, so to speak, that would also affect the lungs also. Or perhaps, by clearing the rash, Elidel prevents bacteria that sit on the skin from entering. It may be the bacteria to which the immune system is responding. Either way, at the surface of the skin there are high levels of inflammatory cells and chemicals. These inflammatory factors migrate to the lymph nodes, which then multiply and spread into the blood vessels. The molecules reach the nasal passages and lungs, and prompt an allergic reaction there. “Using early intervention with an effective agent, we’re really hoping to dampen that roller coaster ride,” says Dr. Boguniewicz. Eric Short is thrilled to have his son Cole enrolled in the study. He says he doesn’t want eczema and asthma to rob his son of his childhood. “He needs to be allowed to be a boy,” says Eric. Elidel’s safety in infants under age 2 has yet to be determined. Some critics argue that since the drug suppresses protective immunity it could leave infants vulnerable to infections such as chicken pox. For more information on asthma, click here: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22782#about For more information on eczema, click here: http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/eczema.html