The public defence will be held as a video conference over Zoom.
The defence will follow regular procedure as far as possible, hence it will be open to the public and the audience can ask ex auditorio questions when invited to do so.
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Digital trial lecture - time and place
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Carsten Flohr, St John’s Institute of Dermatology, Kings College London, United Kingdom
- Second opponent: Professor Emerita Karin Fählt-Magnusson, Linköping University, Sweden
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor II Berit Flatø, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
Professor II Drude Merete Fugelseth, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo
Principal supervisor
Professor Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo
Summary
Atopic dermatitis and other allergic diseases are common, often reducing quality of life and increasing the socioeconomic burden. Identifying prenatal and perinatal factors that predicts impaired skin barrier function and atopic dermatitis in early infancy in order to better understand the nature of the disease and possibly select infants for potential primary prevention seems important.
In a general population of 1150 infants, based on the Preventing atopic dermatitis and allergies in children (PreventADALL) study, we identified maternal allergic disease, birth during winter season and male sex as being significant predictors for impaired skin barrier, measured as high transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Maternal allergic disease, multiparity and elective caesarean significantly predicted atopic dermatitis. We could not identify a unique amniotic fluid microbiome in uncomplicated term pregnancies when studying amniotic fluid from acute and elective caesarean sections.
Dry skin was present in more than half of the 3 months old infants, with cheeks and extensor surfaces of the extremities most commonly affected. Mean TEWL was significantly higher in infants with dry skin than in those with unaffected skin. Increasing gestational age at birth and increasing paternal age were significant predictors for dry skin at 3 months, which in turn predicted atopic dermatitis at 6 months of age.
Additional information
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