This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (13)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Allergy  • Pediatrics, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic

Effect of Pet Ownership and Exposure to Indoor Allergens

Lesley A. Lowe, BSc; Ashley Woodcock, MD, FRCP; Clare S. Murray, MD; Julie Morris, MSc; Angela Simpson, MD; Adnan Custovic, MD, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158:996-1001.

Objective  To investigate the effect of pet ownership and exposure to indoor allergens on lung function in 3-year-old children.

Design  Birth cohort study.

Setting  Community.

Participants  Children recruited prenatally and followed prospectively to age 3 years.

Main Outcome Measures  Specific airway resistance (sR_aw) (measured with body plethysmograph) at age 3 years; skin-prick tests; data on cat and dog ownership collected prospectively; allergen levels measured in dust collected from homes (high exposure defined as mite allergens >2 µg/g in mattress, and dog >10 µg/g and cat >8 µg/g allergens on the living room floor).

Results  There was no effect of cat or dog ownership at birth or age 3 years on lung function, and no association between lung function and mite, dog, or cat allergen exposure. Sensitized children exposed to high levels of sensitizing allergen had significantly poorer lung function (n = 49, sR_aw kiloPascal per second [kPa/s]; geometric mean [GM], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.28) than children who were not sensitized and not exposed (n = 114; GM, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.12); not sensitized, but exposed (n = 282; GM, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05-1.10); or sensitized and not exposed (n = 53; GM, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.06-1.18; P = .005). In a multivariate model, independent significant associates of lung function were maternal and paternal asthma, and the combination of sensitization and exposure to sensitizing allergen, with significant interaction between them. Lung function was substantially worse in sensitized and highly exposed children with both asthmatic parents (GM, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.68-2.97), compared with those with neither (GM, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04-1.16) or just 1 of these features.

Conclusions  Pet ownership, sensitization without exposure, or exposure in nonsensitized individuals have no effect on lung function. However, the combination of specific sensitization and exposure to sensitizing allergen is associated with significantly poorer lung function in early life.

Author Affiliations: North West Lung Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Manchester M23 9LT, UK.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

An Official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Statement: Pulmonary Function Testing in Preschool Children
Beydon et al.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2007;175:1304-1345.
FULL TEXT  

Polymorphisms in A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 33 (ADAM33) Predict Impaired Early-Life Lung Function
Simpson et al.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2005;172:55-60.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Pet Ownership and Exposure to Indoor Allergens
van der Wouden and Bernsen
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:401-401.
FULL TEXT  

Pet Ownership and Exposure to Indoor Allergens--Reply
Custovic and Simpson
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:401-401.
FULL TEXT  

Effect on Lung Function of Pet and Indoor Allergens Exposure
Randolph
AAP Grand Rounds 2005;13:19-20.
FULL TEXT  

Pets and Lung Function in Young Children
JWatch General 2004;2004:7-7.
FULL TEXT