VIENNA (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) -- Children might have a higher risk of certain skin rashes if their parents have an advanced education, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna said Tuesday.

So-called atopic dermatitis, which leads to itching eczema, is one of the most common skin conditions in industrialized countries.

The researchers studied over 23,000 Austrian schoolchildren and found different rates for children whose parents had more than nine years of education.

"It raises the chances for atopic dermatitis by 30 per cent," the study's lead scientist Gerald Haidinger said.

The reason could be that excessive cleaning in homes with higher education levels could contribute to this autoimmune condition.

But Haidinger also said that educated parents might be more aware of the disorder, leading to a higher number of reports to doctors.

The Vienna researchers published their initial data in the journal Pedriatic Allergy and Immunology and would now like to see if the link to education levels can be proven with similar findings in other countries.

Copyright 2010 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH