Got an allergy? Get a cat
Published: April 3, 2006
Growing up with cats and dogs may reduce a child’s risk of developing allergies, according to a new study.
Sydney researchers who followed more than 500 children born to families with no pet cats found those who acquired a cat in their first five years of life were less likely to test positive in allergy skin-prick tests.
The Childhood Asthma Prevention Study found the reduced risk did not depend on the child’s age when a cat was acquired, nor whether the cat was kept indoors or outdoors. A reduced response to allergy tests was also found in children who grew up with dogs. The research findings, presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand in Canberra, appeared to contradict studies showing acquiring cats after birth increased the risk of allergies in children.
However, paediatric epidemiologist Catarina Almqvist said while the pet-owning children were less likely to have “atopy” – a positive reaction to skin-prick tests – they were no less likely to have developed allergies such as hay fever, asthma or eczema.
“What we found is that children who were around cats or dogs in their first five years have a reduced risk of atopy but not a reduced risk for symptoms. They were the same in cat owners or non-cat owners.”
Almqvist, from Sydney University’s Woolcock Institute for Medical Research, hoped to reassess the children at the age of eight to see if a difference in allergy symptoms emerged.
Allergy New Zealand chief executive Penny Jorgensen said there was no consistent evidence in this area. “Some studies have associated pet exposure to increased allergy risk, while others, like this one, have shown a protective effect.”
Jorgensen said if a family had pets it was not necessary to remove them but nor would the charity recommend new pets be acquired for allergy prevention.
She said it was disappointing that research on allergies, other than asthma, was not being done in New Zealand.
“As a result, we have to rely on overseas studies for our statistics and this is a concern because we have a different environment and different population mix than the rest of the world, and our high asthma rates mean we probably have a highly atopic population.”
Ten-month-old Mila Hastie adored her family’s two cats but had yet to learn that pulling tails may not endear her to them. “Mila loves them. As soon as she hears the cat door she gets excited,” said mum Emily Hastie. “But now she’s crawling they are getting more terrified of her because she can chase them.”
Hastie said she was given conflicting advice on pets when she was pregnant. “I’ve heard that you shouldn’t let cat hair get on their skin because it can give them allergies, but I’ve also heard if they’re brought up around them it can prevent allergies.”
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