eczema - could it be the formula milk?

[luboo]

My five month old DS has eczema and has had from about four weeks old. It has got progressively worse and is keeping him awake at night. Have tried all the usual suspects - epaderm, dermol, double base, aveeno, oilatum etc! Steroids clear it up but within days it's back again.
I have always had him on Aptamil but I have noticed this is the only formula with Fish Oil in. I am allergic to shellfish myself. Does anyone now if eczema can be caused by a fish intollerance? This week I have swapped to Hipp Organic formula....

One of the causes of baby eczema is cow's milk.

I think you should ask your health visitor or doctor on advice on changing to a hypoallergenic milk.

How odd that formula milk has fish oil in it.

do you also use a hypoallergenic washing powder?

Yes, have swapped from fairy to Surecare and don't use conditioner.

Dairy is a big cause of eczema- it make mine a lot worse. Maybe you should ask for a referral to an allergy clinic if there is one in your area they would be able to test for a range of things and give you good advice about managing eczema.

Thanks! I intend to ask the doctor to be referred but I suspect I will meet with resistance. How open are they to referring you? So far she has poo-pooed it as "just baby eczema"...

They' don't always do allergy tests on babies this age as they are inaccurate as the immune system is still not totally developed.

But diary is the most likely culprit I was told - a cow's milk protein allergy. You can get special milk if that is the problem.

dairy not diary!

My DS was the same. We tried all the products you've tried too. He saw a dermatologist when he was 7 months who suggested taking him off gluten. He's now 19mo and has been on a gluten-free diet since then and we've never looked back. I breasfed til he was 10mo but topped him up on Aptimil too, but it wasn't until he was on solid food that he started to improve.

We still use a products by QV (bath oil - bath every second night - and cream). These are fantastic and have recently been made available on the NHS.

He still gets the odd patch, but so rarely it's barely wortth worrying about. Not sure if he's progressively grown out of it or it's been a combination of all the elements about. I think it's a process of trial and error until you find what's right for you.

dd had eczema as a baby

it was from when we went swimming (stopped in summer when lessons ended)

Babybarrister, thanks! That's all really helpful...One more question; If it is a dairy allergy woul he have stomach cramps or another symptom in addtion to the eczema?

babybarraster - that's interesting - it's sad baby's have to suffer far more before they get treatment. My ds was 11 weeks old when he came out in eczema that covered most of his body - if an adult had had that amount of eczema, it would have been considered very serious. Fortunately I managed to get him a hospital referral that same week, due to a sensible GP. The previous doctors I had seen had just dismissed it as baby acne or cradle cap, when I knew it wasn't.

luboo - dairy allergies can also cause stomach cramps, vomiting, lethargy and even failure to thrive - it depends on how serious the allergy is.

As an infant only source of food is the milk, pediatricians would often suggest switching out from cow's milk to a hydrolyzed formula or alternative to cow's milk. However, this recommendation is based on cow's milk being a common food allergen in infant rather than a diagnosis specific to the baby. Unfortunately, the baby is too young to take an accurate allergy test, so it is still a valid recommendation to consider switching formula, esp. if you feel you've covered all grounds...

Should the eczema persist after the switch, do get an allergy test as it may present a different diagnosis - in my baby's case, she was not allergic to any food. a little more of my milk switching experience..
eczemablues.com/2011/05/is-partially-hydrolysed-milk-worth-the-money/

Take care,
Mei of EczemaBlues

There's fish oil in most baby formula's. Soy based was the only one I found [but didn't check the prescription only stuff] that didn't have fish oil in it. Do you get a break out/reaction from omega capsules?

Hi OP. Soy formula isn't recommended any more, so hypoallergenic would be the way to go if you want to trial a milk alternative. I'd try getting it prescribed on a trial basis from your GP if you can as it's very expensive (AFAIK a tub of Neocate is £40 - my DD has been on it for almost a year on prescription). If they out and out refuse, a trial with a tub bought over the counter might be worth it to make your point. I remember that Hipp Organic does have some kind of fish in it though, might be worth double checking.

I was told by DDs allergist (like others here) that cow's milk is the prime culprit for eczema. The 'just baby eczema' thing makes me SO mad. Babies aren't supposed to have eczema, it's not a 'normal' thing to just go and put up with, especially when the triggers are pretty widely known. Keep shouting OP and make sure you get them to refer you to an allergist or a dermatologist if you don't get any joy.

Good luck!