Exposure to pets, and the association with hay fever, asthma, and atopic sensitization in rural children

Background:  An increasing number of studies report pet exposure to be associated with lower risk of asthma and allergies. This ‘protective pet effect’ has been suggested to result from a modified T‐helper (Th)2‐cell response, or because of increased microbial load in homes where pets are kept. We examined the associations between pet contact and the occurrence of asthma and allergies in children of the rural Allergy and Endotoxin (ALEX) population, taking farm animal contact, endotoxin and cat allergen levels in mattress dust into account.

[1]  B. Björkstén,et al.  Pet-keeping in early childhood and airway, nose and skin symptoms later in life. , 2004, Allergy.

[2]  D. Nowak,et al.  Determinants of endotoxin levels in living environments of farmers' children and their peers from rural areas , 2004, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[3]  N. Åberg,et al.  High‐dose exposure to cat is associated with clinical tolerance – a modified Th2 immune response? , 2003, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[4]  T. Platts-Mills,et al.  Four-year incidence of allergic sensitization among schoolchildren in a community where allergy to cat and dog dominates sensitization: report from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden Study Group. , 2003, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[5]  M. Wickman,et al.  Direct and indirect exposure to pets – risk of sensitization and asthma at 4 years in a birth cohort , 2003, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[6]  J. Pekkanen,et al.  Which factors explain the lower prevalence of atopy amongst farmers' children? , 2003, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[7]  M. Jenmalm,et al.  Endotoxin levels in Estonian and Swedish house dust and atopy in infancy , 2003, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[8]  J. Douwes,et al.  Farm residence and exposures and the risk of allergic diseases in New Zealand children , 2002, Allergy.

[9]  H. Wichmann,et al.  Exposure to pets and atopic dermatitis during the first two years of life. A cohort study , 2002, Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

[10]  J. Celedón,et al.  A longitudinal analysis of wheezing in young children: the independent effects of early life exposure to house dust endotoxin, allergens, and pets. , 2002, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[11]  T. Platts-Mills,et al.  Effect of cat and dog ownership on sensitization and development of asthma among preteenage children. , 2002, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[12]  E. Peterson,et al.  Exposure to dogs and cats in the first year of life and risk of allergic sensitization at 6 to 7 years of age. , 2002, JAMA.

[13]  J. Douwes,et al.  Pets and vermin are associated with high endotoxin levels in house dust , 2001, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[14]  H. Wichmann,et al.  Exposure to endotoxin decreases the risk of atopic eczema in infancy: a cohort study. , 2001, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[15]  Dennis Nowak,et al.  Exposure to farming in early life and development of asthma and allergy: a cross-sectional survey , 2001, The Lancet.

[16]  S. Remes,et al.  Dog exposure in infancy decreases the subsequent risk of frequent wheeze but not of atopy. , 2001, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[17]  P. Nafstad,et al.  Exposure to pets and atopy‐related diseases in the first 4 years of life , 2001, Allergy.

[18]  B. Apelberg,et al.  Systematic review: Exposure to pets and risk of asthma and asthma-like symptoms. , 2001, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[19]  B. Niggemann,et al.  Early exposure to house-dust mite and cat allergens and development of childhood asthma: a cohort study , 2000, The Lancet.

[20]  P. Nafstad,et al.  Early respiratory infections and childhood asthma. , 2000, Pediatrics.

[21]  M. Klinnert,et al.  Relation between house-dust endotoxin exposure, type 1 T-cell development, and allergen sensitisation in infants at high risk of asthma , 2000, The Lancet.

[22]  W. Eder,et al.  Austrian children living on a farm have less hay fever, asthma and allergic sensitization , 2000, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[23]  E. Mutius,et al.  Reduced risk of hay fever and asthma among children of farmers , 2000, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[24]  B. Wüthrich,et al.  Prevalence of hay fever and allergic sensitization in farmer's children and their peers living in the same rural community , 1999, Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

[25]  S. Lau,et al.  Indoor allergen exposure is a risk factor for sensitization during the first three years of life. , 1997, The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.

[26]  D. Strachan,et al.  International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC): rationale and methods. , 1995, The European respiratory journal.

[27]  S. Squillace,et al.  For Personal Use Only. Reproduce with Permission from the Lancet Publishing Group , 2022 .

[28]  Lorian,et al.  ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO ENDOTOXIN AND ITS RELATION TO ASTHMA IN SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN , 2022 .