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Abstract
Purpose
It is controversial whether indoor pet exposure is either a risk or protective factor developing sensitization to pet allergens or asthma. Therefore, we investigated whether indoor pet ownership entails a risk for the development of asthma and sensitization in childhood.
Methods
The Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) is a general-population-based birth cohort study that recruited 2,078 mother-baby dyads in Korea between April and July of 2008. Among 1,577 children who were followed up in 2015, 559 underwent skin prick tests, spirometry and bronchial provocation tests using Provocholine. Having a cat or a dog and the prevalence of asthma were evaluated by using self-reported questionnaires and physicians’ medical records.
Results
During infancy, the rate of dog ownership was 4.5% (71 of 1,574) and that of cat ownership was 0.5% (8 of 1,574). Of the subjects, 7.9% (n=109) currently had at least 1 dog and 2.5% (n=34) had at least 1 cat. Pet ownership during infancy was associated with sensitization to cats or dogs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–13.98), wheezing within 12 months (aOR, 5.56; 95% CI, 1.65–18.75) and current asthma (wheezing episode in the last 12 months+diagnosed asthma by physicians) (aOR, 6.36; 95% CI, 1.54–26.28). In contrast, pet ownership during the last 12 months was not associated with sensitization to cats or dogs or current asthma.
References
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Fig. 1.
Study population. PSKC, Panel Study of Korean Children; ISAAC, International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. *The rate of pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy was evaluated by a 2013 questionnaire. †2015 questionnaire was used to identify the baseline characteristics and confounders (sex, body mass index, preterm birth, possession of pet within the last 12 months, breastfeeding, secondhand smoke, parental allergic disease, history of bronchiolitis, and maternal education level).
Table 1.
Characteristics of the enrolled subjects
| Characteristic | Subjects completed allergic evaluation (n=554) | d Excluded by missing data (n=1,023) | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 303 (54.7) | 506 (49.5) | 0.047 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 17.02±2.5 | 16.9±2.9 | 0.829 |
| Pet ownership in infancy | 30 (5.4) | 36 (3.5) | 0.098 |
| Current pet ownership | 40 (7.2) | 91 (8.9) | 0.245 |
| Breast feeding | 329 (59.4) | 617 (60.3) | 0.625 |
| Secondhand smoking | 251 (45.3) | 465 (45.5) | 0.550 |
| Parent allergy history | 286 (51.6) | 469 (45.8) | 0.206 |
| Bronchiolitis ever (<36 mo) | 132 (23.8) | 194 (19.0) | 0.025 |
| Asthma diagnosis | 26 (4.7) | 29 (2.8) | 0.056 |
| Wheezing within 12 mo | 30 (5.4) | 61 (6.0) | 0.643 |
| Current asthma† | 9 (1.6) | 15 (1.5) | 0.812 |
| Allergic rhinitis diagnosis | 301 (54.3) | 407 (39.8) | <0.001 |
| Atopic dermatitis diagnosis | 141 (25.5) | 171 (16.7) | <0.001 |
Table 2.
The association between pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy or during the last 12 months and asthma symptoms at age of 7
| Variable | Whole subjects | Pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy (+) | Current pet ownership (+) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No./total No. (%) | No./total No. (%) | aOR* (95% CI) | No./total No. (%) | aOR* (95% CI) | |
| Asthma diagnosis. ever | 42/554 (7.6) | 4/31 (12.9) | 2.99 (0.88–10.15) | 2/38 (5.3) | 0.89 (0.20–4.07) |
| Wheezing within 12 mo | 27/554 (4.9) | 4/31 (12.9) | 5.56 (1.65–18.75) | 1/38 (2.6) | 0.60 (0.08–4.73) |
| Current asthma† | 17/554 (3.1) | 3/31 (9.7) | 6.36 (1.54–26.28) | 1/38 (2.6) | 0.97 (0.12–7.93) |
Table 3.
The association between pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy or during the last 12 months and allergic sensitization to cats or dogs at age of 7
Table 4.
The association between pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy or during the last 12 months and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) by provocholine challenge test at age of 7
Table 5.
The association between pet ownership from pregnancy to infancy or during the last 12 months and allergic sensitization to cats or dogs at age of 7
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