Allergische Reaktionen bei Kleinkindern durch Haustiere?

Abstract

Background

Currently, there is a controversial discussion regarding the influence of household pets on the development of allergic diseases in childhood. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to analyze the association between pet keeping at time of birth and the prevalence of atopic diseases among two-year-old children.

Methods

A few days after the delivery of their babies 3,132 mothers of German nationality were asked whether they kept household pets like dogs, cats or birds. Two years later they were asked again whether their children had developed atopic diseases like bronchial asthma, eczema or hay fever. By means of logistic regression models and considering the confounders family history, socioeconomic status, and place of residence it was analyzed whether there was an association between the development of allergic reactions among these children and keeping pets at the time of birth.

Results

In families without a history of atopic diseases, prevalence of asthma and eczema among two-year-old children was significantly decreased when these families owned a dog at the time of the birth of these children (odds ratio [OR]: 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33–0.83). By contrast, in families with a history of atopic diseases, the prevalence of asthma and eczema in two-year-old-children was higher in families that kept a dog as compared to families without a dog (OR: 1.43; CI: 0.95–2.15). Comparable analyses for holding cats or birds showed no influence with regard to the development of atopic diseases in early childhood.

Conclusion

This study confirms several earlier studies suggesting a negative associaton between “keeping dogs” and the development of atopic diseases in early childhood — admittedly just in non-atopic families.