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Published on: November 19, 2016
Exposure to pets and allergies in children
Bernd Hölscher1, Christian Frye, H-Erich Wichmann
1GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Neuherberg, Germany.
Summary
Early life dog exposure may protect children from allergies. This protective effect is stronger in children with allergic parents and was not observed with cat exposure.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
Background:
- Growing evidence suggests early-life environmental exposures influence atopic disorder development.
- The role of pet ownership, specifically dogs and cats, in modulating childhood allergies remains a subject of ongoing research and debate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between early-life and current exposure to pets (dogs, cats, rodents, birds) and the prevalence of allergic diseases in schoolchildren.
- To determine if dog or cat exposure influences allergic sensitization and the development of conditions like asthma, hay fever, and eczema.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from three cross-sectional surveys conducted in East Germany between 1992 and 1999, involving 5,360 schoolchildren aged 5-14.
- Assessed allergic sensitization through specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentrations (radioallergosorbent testing) for common aeroallergens in 85% of participants.
- Employed statistical analysis, adjusting for potential confounders, to examine the relationship between pet contact and allergic disease prevalence.
Main Results:
- Contact with dogs during the first year of life showed an inverse association with the prevalence of asthma, hay fever, eczema, and pollen sensitization.
- These protective effects of early dog exposure were more pronounced in children with a history of parental allergies.
- Current dog ownership also demonstrated similar protective associations, while cat exposure was linked to increased cat-specific sensitization, with no protective effect observed for other pets.
Conclusions:
- Early-life exposure to dogs appears to offer a protective effect against the development of atopic disorders in children, particularly those with a genetic predisposition.
- The study highlights a specific protective mechanism associated with dog ownership, which was not evident for cat ownership.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying the protective effects of dog exposure on childhood allergies.
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