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Early-life thymus enlargement fuels immune activation, making atopic dermatitis more likely in toddlers.
New research suggests that babies with larger thymus glands in early life are more likely to develop atopic dermatitis (AD) within their first 2 years, highlighting the thymus’s potential role in shaping immune-driven skin disorders. The study conducted by Iben Frier Ruge et al. aimed to investigate the association between infant thymus growth and early AD development.
A cohort of 300 term newborns, from birth to 2 years, was examined. Trans-sternal ultrasounds measured thymus size at the time of birth, 2 months, and 12 months. Researchers calculated the thymic index and categorized it at or above the 90th percentile. Immune biomarkers were analyzed from dorsal hand skin tape strips. Hazard ratios (HR) quantified the risk of AD and early-onset AD, while multivariate analyses adjusted for sex, growth measures, breastfeeding, filaggrin gene mutations, and parental atopy.
Among the 290 (97%) infants analyzed, over one-third (34%) developed AD within 2 years, with higher thymus size at 2 months strongly predicting both early-onset and overall AD risk (Table 1).
Moreover, a moderate positive correlation was found between the thymic index and the eczema area and severity index (EASI) at 2 months (r = 0.39), suggesting that increased thymic activity may relate not only to AD risk but also to disease severity. The findings indicated that infants with heightened thymic function faced a markedly higher risk of developing AD. This evidence pointed to early T-cell maturation as a key biological driver in the initial stages of disease development.
Allergy
Large Thymus Size at 2 Months Is Associated With Increased Risk of Atopic Dermatitis at Age 2
Iben Frier Ruge et al.
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