Lifetime pet exposure not associated with allergen sensitization in teenagers
Wegienka et al report in the August 2010 issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) that there was no overall association between various patterns of indoor pet keeping over childhood and having allergic sensitivity (IgE antibody) to common allergens in early adulthood.
The results are from the Childhood Allergy Study, a longitudinal study from suburban Detroit in which participants were followed since their births approximately 20 years ago. The participants were interviewed about living with indoor cats and dogs throughout their lives, and this information was combined with questionnaires on indoor pet-keeping collected from the parents when the participants were young.
Blood samples for allergen specific IgE antibodies for grass, dust mite, ragweed, peanut, dog, cat, and Alternaria alternata were measured in their blood after their 18th birthdays. Living with indoor cats or dogs in the first year of life, total years living with indoor pets, and the specific ages at which they lived with indoor cats or dogs were considered in the analyses. No pattern of exposure was associated with being allergic to the panel of common allergens. However, those living with cats or dogs in the first year of life had lower total levels of IgE antibody than those who had not had pets at this age.
“Indoor Pet Exposure and the Outcomes of Total IgE and Sensitization at Age 18 Years” Remarks by Wegienka et al.
(JACI August 2010 / Volume 126, No. 2)
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) is the official scientific journal of the AAAAI, and is the most-cited journal in the field of allergy and clinical immunology.