Dog Ownership in Early Life Increased the Risk of Nonatopic Asthma in Children
Authors
Min Jee Park ; So-Yeon Lee ; Kun Baek Song ; Si Hyeon Lee ; Kil Yong Choi ; Ki Won Lee ; Sungsu Jung ; Dong In Suh ; Youn Ho Sheen ; Kyung Won Kim ; Kangmo Ahn ; Soo-Jong Hong
Citation
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Vol.182(10) : 980-988, 2021-10
Background: It is still debatable whether dog ownership during early childhood is a risk factor for the development of allergic diseases.
Objective: We investigated the association of dog ownership in early life with sensitization and asthma in childhood.
Methods: Data from the Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and Allergic diseases were used to investigate the association between dog ownership at any time from pregnancy to 1 year of age and sensitization to aeroallergens at 3 and 7 years old, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), and asthma at 7 years old. We analyzed the cytokine levels in cord blood (CB) and indoor environmental measurement concentrations in the mother's residence obtained at 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Results: Sensitization to dogs at age 3 and 7 did not differ between dog ownership and nonownership, but dog ownership during early life decreased the risk of sensitization to aeroallergens at age 7 (aOR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.21-0.90). Dog ownership significantly increased the risk of nonatopic BHR (aOR = 2.86; 95% CI 1.32-6.21). In addition, dog ownership was associated with asthma, especially nonatopic asthma at 7 years old (aOR = 2.73, 95% CI 1.02-7.32; aOR = 7.05, 95% CI 1.85-26.90, respectively). There were no significant differences in the concentrations of IL-13 or interferon-γ in CB or indoor environmental measurements according to dog ownership during pregnancy.
Conclusion: Early-life dog exposure in this birth cohort has been shown to reduce atopy but increase the risk of nonatopic BHR and nonatopic asthma at 7 years old