SCOTS scientists have discovered a mutation in genes that can cause eczema.

Researchers from Dundee University and the Trinity College Dublin discovered the mutation, which can cause a type of eczema known as atopic dermatitis (AD), the most commonly diagnosed skin condition in Scotland.

The condition, which effects around 20 per cent of children, has been linked to a mutation in a gene called Matt/Tmem79. The gene is involved in producing a protein called 'mattrin', but scientists found people with the mutation were deficient in producing the protein, which acts as a skin barrier to stop foreign substances.