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Early pet exposure: friend or foe?
Simpson A, Custovic A
Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003;3( 1):7-14.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sensitization to pets is a risk factor for asthma and it was assumed that pet ownership was a risk factor for sensitization.Epidemiological studies failed to confirm this, some even suggesting thatkeeping pets decreased the risk of sensitization and asthma. In the lastyear, 10 studies have been published which have, at least in part,attempted to address the question. The results, however, are heterogeneousand it is still not clear how we should advise our patients on this issueof pet ownership. RECENT FINDINGS: Results of studies of the associationbetween exposure to cat or cat allergen and the development ofsensitization are such that almost any view on the relationship could besupported by evidence from the literature. For dogs, there are fewer data,but there is little to suggest that keeping a dog increases the risk ofsensitization to dog. The majority of studies reviewed find either noassociation or a reduced risk of asthma amongst pet owners, but only oneof these selectively excludes those who deliberately avoid pets from theanalysis. There is evidence to suggest that amongst non-pet owners, therisk of sensitization and of asthma increases in areas with a highproportion of pet owners. There is evidence emerging that the effect ofexposure to pets may be different in different relative risk groups, basedon parental allergy. There is also evidence that asthma is more severeamongst pet sensitized pet owners. SUMMARY: There are several large birthcohort studies being conducted around the world designed to measure thedevelopment of asthma and allergies in children with prospective andobjective measures of environmental exposures. The results of such studiesare required before the association between pets and asthma can bedetermined.
Keyword(s)
Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Cats; Child; Child, Preschool; Dogs; Humans; Infant; Risk Factors; adverse effects: Environmental Exposure; etiology: Asthma; etiology: Hypersensitivity; immunology: Allergens; immunology: Animals, Domestic