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Approved Research

Assessment of the associations between domestic water hardness usage and eczema prevalence and incidence in middle-aged adults aged from England and Wales

Principal Investigator: Mr Diego Lopez
Approved Research ID: 70068
Approval date: June 18th 2021

Lay summary

Eczema common itchy skin condition that develops in children and adults. Hard water (water with a high mineral content) may increase the risk of eczema. To date, studies have only examined the association between hard water and eczema n children.  We aim to assess the associations between hard water in people homes and eczema in the UK Biobank study, from the 2006 baseline and 2014 follow-up. Water hardness data will be collected from the Drinking Water Inspectorate and linked to the participant's home address (in 1-km grids). Associations between water hardness and eczema outcomes will be assessed using regression models while taking into account other factors that lead to eczema and hard water. 

The project duration will be 14 months to allow for preparing and analysing the data analyses and writing the manuscript for submission to a scientific journal. It is expected that from a better understanding of the effects of domestic water hardness on adult eczema may lead to targeted intervention to decrease eczema incidence, recurrence, and severity. It is expected that from a better understanding of the effects of domestic water hardness on adult eczema may lead to targeted intervention to decrease eczema incidence, recurrence, and severity.