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Pet ownership is associated with increased risk of non-atopic asthma and reduced risk of atopy in childhood: findings from a UK birth cohort.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Studies have shown an inverse association of pet ownership with allergy but inconclusive findings for asthma. OBJECTIVE:To investigate whether pet ownership during pregnancy and childhood was associated with asthma and atopy at the age of 7 in a UK population-based birth cohort. METHODS:Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used to investigate associations of pet ownership at six time points from pregnancy to the age of 7 with asthma, atopy (grass, house dust mite, and cat skin prick test) and atopic vs. non-atopic asthma at the age of 7 using logistic regression models adjusted for child's sex, maternal history of asthma/atopy, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and family adversity. RESULTS:A total of 3768 children had complete data on pet ownership, asthma, and atopy. Compared with non-ownership, continuous ownership of any pet (before and after the age of 3) was associated with 52% lower odds of atopic asthma [odds ratio (OR) 0.48, 95% CI 0.34-0.68]. Pet ownership tended to be associated with increased risk of non-atopic asthma, particularly rabbits (OR 1.61, 1.04-2.51) and rodents (OR 1.86, 1.15-3.01), comparing continuous vs. non-ownership. Pet ownership was consistently associated with lower odds of sensitization to grass, house dust mite, and cat allergens, but rodent ownership was associated with higher odds of sensitization to rodent allergen. Differential effects of pet ownership on atopic vs. non-atopic asthma were evident for all pet types. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:Pet ownership during pregnancy and childhood in this birth cohort was consistently associated with a reduced risk of aeroallergen sensitization and atopic asthma at the age of 7, but tended to be associated (particularly for rabbits and rodents) with an increased risk of non-atopic asthma. The opposing effects on atopy vs. non-atopic asthma might be considered by parents when they are deciding whether to acquire a pet.

SUBMITTER: Collin SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4280336 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pet ownership is associated with increased risk of non-atopic asthma and reduced risk of atopy in childhood: findings from a UK birth cohort.

Collin S M SM Granell R R Westgarth C C Murray J J Paul E E Sterne J A C JA John Henderson A A

Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology 20150101 1

<h4>Background</h4>Studies have shown an inverse association of pet ownership with allergy but inconclusive findings for asthma.<h4>Objective</h4>To investigate whether pet ownership during pregnancy and childhood was associated with asthma and atopy at the age of 7 in a UK population-based birth cohort.<h4>Methods</h4>Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used to investigate associations of pet ownership at six time points from pregnancy to the age of 7 wit ...[more]

PMID: 25077415

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Project description:Study questionAre children who were conceived with infertility treatment at an increased risk of developing asthma and atopic conditions?Summary answerInfertility treatment is associated with an elevated risk of asthma and atopic conditions in early and middle childhood, even after adjustment for parental asthma and atopy.What is known alreadyAsthma and atopic conditions are prevalent in childhood. The development of these conditions may be linked to early life exposures, including the use of infertility treatments.Study design, size, durationUpstate KIDS is a prospective cohort study of singletons and multiples born between 2008 and 2010. A total of 5034 mothers and 6171 children were enrolled and followed up until 2019, and 2056 children participated in the middle childhood follow-up.Participants/materials, setting, methodsWomen reported the fertility agents used to become pregnant on a baseline questionnaire. Treatment was categorized as ART (∼22%) use, ovulation induction via oral/injectable medications with or without IUI (OI/IUI, ∼20%), or no treatment (∼58%). Outcomes were assessed by maternal report on questionnaires in early (up to age 3 years, prevalence 9-28%) and middle (7-9 years, prevalence 10-16%) childhood. Weighted Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were used to analyze the risk of atopic outcomes in relation to infertility treatment exposure.Main results and the role of chanceCompared to children conceived without treatment, children conceived with any infertility treatment were at an increased risk of persistent wheeze by age 3 years (relative risk (RR): 1.66; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.33) with adjustments for parental atopy among other risk factors. Around 7-9 years, children conceived with treatment were more likely to have current asthma (RR: 1.30; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.71), eczema (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.49) or be prescribed allergy-related medications (RR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.99). Similar effect sizes were found when examining associations by treatment type (i.e. ART versus OI/IUI).Limitations, reasons for cautionChildhood outcomes were based on maternal report and are subject to potential misclassification. There was attrition in this study, which limits the precision of our measures of association.Wider implications of the findingsThough future research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved, our findings support that both ART and OI/IUI influences the development of asthma and atopic conditions in the offspring from an early age.Study funding/competing interest(s)This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health's Intramural Research Program at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; contracts #HHSN275201200005C, #HHSN267200700019C, #HHSN275201400013C, #HHSN275201300026I/27500004, #HHSN275201300023I/27500017). The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.Trial registration numberN/A.

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Project description:BackgroundRecent studies suggest that household endotoxin and allergens can modify the impact of air pollutants on development of asthma; however, epidemiological evidence is limited and conflicting.ObjectivesTo investigate whether pet ownership modified the association between ambient air pollution and asthma in children.MethodsWe conducted a population-based cross-sectional study, the Seven Northeast Cities Study in China and recruited a total of 59,754 children from 94 schools during 2012-2013. Long-term air pollutant concentrations, including airborne particulate matter with a diameter of 1 μm or less (PM1 ), PM2.5 , PM10 , and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) from 2009 to 2012 were estimated using a random forest model. We collected information of respiratory health in children using the Epidemiologic Standardization Project Questionnaire of the American Thoracic Society (ATS-DLD-78-A). Regression models were used to evaluate associations between pet ownership and air pollution on asthma after adjusting for potential covariates.ResultsExposure to increasing levels of air pollutants was associated with higher prevalence of asthma, but associations were significantly attenuated in children who owned pets. For example, compared to children without pets, those who owned pets did not have an increased risk of symptoms of asthma (odds ratio, 1.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.78, 1.30), wheeze (0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76, 1.21), and cough (1.01, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.18) for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM1 (P-int < 0.05). Similar trends were observed for other air pollutants. Dog and bird ownership decreased the associations of asthma and cough with air pollutant exposure. The main findings were consistent with a series of sensitivity analyses.ConclusionCurrent pet ownership may reduce the adverse impact of long-term air pollution on childhood asthma. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this finding which could have important implications for public health.

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Pet ownership is associated with increased risk of non-atopic asthma and reduced risk of atopy in childhood: findings from a UK birth cohort.

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Pet ownership is associated with increased risk of non-atopic asthma and reduced risk of atopy in childhood: findings from a UK birth cohort.

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