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Does pet ownership in infancy lead to asthma or allergy at school age? Pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 European birth cohorts

Does pet ownership in infancy lead to asthma or allergy at school age? Pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 European birth cohorts
Does pet ownership in infancy lead to asthma or allergy at school age? Pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 European birth cohorts
Objective
To examine the associations between pet keeping in early childhood and asthma and allergies in children aged 6–10 years.

Design
Pooled analysis of individual participant data of 11 prospective European birth cohorts that recruited a total of over 22,000 children in the 1990s.

Exposure definition
Ownership of only cats, dogs, birds, rodents, or cats/dogs combined during the first 2 years of life.

Outcome definition
Current asthma (primary outcome), allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitization during 6–10 years of age.

Data synthesis
Three-step approach: (i) Common definition of outcome and exposure variables across cohorts; (ii) calculation of adjusted effect estimates for each cohort; (iii) pooling of effect estimates by using random effects meta-analysis models.

Results
We found no association between furry and feathered pet keeping early in life and asthma in school age. For example, the odds ratio for asthma comparing cat ownership with “no pets” (10 studies, 11489 participants) was 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.28) (I2 = 9%; p = 0.36). The odds ratio for asthma comparing dog ownership with “no pets” (9 studies, 11433 participants) was 0.77 (0.58 to 1.03) (I2 = 0%, p = 0.89). Owning both cat(s) and dog(s) compared to “no pets” resulted in an odds ratio of 1.04 (0.59 to 1.84) (I2 = 33%, p = 0.18). Similarly, for allergic asthma and for allergic rhinitis we did not find associations regarding any type of pet ownership early in life. However, we found some evidence for an association between ownership of furry pets during the first 2 years of life and reduced likelihood of becoming sensitized to aero-allergens.

Conclusions
Pet ownership in early life did not appear to either increase or reduce the risk of asthma or allergic rhinitis symptoms in children aged 6-10. Advice from health care practitioners to avoid or to specifically acquire pets for primary prevention of asthma or allergic rhinitis in children should not be given.
1932-6203
e43214
Lødrup Carlsen, Karin C.
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Roll, Stephanie
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Carlsen, Kai-Håkon
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Mowinckel, Petter
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Wijga, Alet H.
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Brunekreef, Bert
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Torrent, Maties
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Roberts, Graham
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Arshad, S. Hasan
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Kull, Inger
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Krämer, Ursula
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von Berg, Andrea
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Eller, Esben
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Høst, Arne
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Kuehni, Claudia
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Spycher, Ben
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Sunyer, Jordi
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Reich, Andreas
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Asarnoj, Anna
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Puig, Carmen
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Herbarth, Olf
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Mahachie John, Jestinah M.
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Van Steen, Kristel
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Willich, Stefan N.
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Wahn, Ulrich
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Lau, Susanne
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Keil, Thomas
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Lødrup Carlsen, Karin C.
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Roll, Stephanie
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Carlsen, Kai-Håkon
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Mowinckel, Petter
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Wijga, Alet H.
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Brunekreef, Bert
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Torrent, Maties
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Roberts, Graham
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Arshad, S. Hasan
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Kull, Inger
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Krämer, Ursula
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von Berg, Andrea
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Eller, Esben
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Høst, Arne
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Kuehni, Claudia
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Spycher, Ben
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Sunyer, Jordi
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Chen, Chih-Mei
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Reich, Andreas
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Asarnoj, Anna
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Puig, Carmen
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Herbarth, Olf
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Van Steen, Kristel
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Willich, Stefan N.
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Wahn, Ulrich
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Lau, Susanne
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Keil, Thomas
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Lødrup Carlsen, Karin C., Roll, Stephanie, Carlsen, Kai-Håkon, Mowinckel, Petter, Wijga, Alet H., Brunekreef, Bert, Torrent, Maties, Roberts, Graham, Arshad, S. Hasan, Kull, Inger, Krämer, Ursula, von Berg, Andrea, Eller, Esben, Høst, Arne, Kuehni, Claudia, Spycher, Ben, Sunyer, Jordi, Chen, Chih-Mei, Reich, Andreas, Asarnoj, Anna, Puig, Carmen, Herbarth, Olf, Mahachie John, Jestinah M., Van Steen, Kristel, Willich, Stefan N., Wahn, Ulrich, Lau, Susanne and Keil, Thomas (2012) Does pet ownership in infancy lead to asthma or allergy at school age? Pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 European birth cohorts. PLoS ONE, 7 (8), e43214. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043214). (PMID:22952649)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective
To examine the associations between pet keeping in early childhood and asthma and allergies in children aged 6–10 years.

Design
Pooled analysis of individual participant data of 11 prospective European birth cohorts that recruited a total of over 22,000 children in the 1990s.

Exposure definition
Ownership of only cats, dogs, birds, rodents, or cats/dogs combined during the first 2 years of life.

Outcome definition
Current asthma (primary outcome), allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitization during 6–10 years of age.

Data synthesis
Three-step approach: (i) Common definition of outcome and exposure variables across cohorts; (ii) calculation of adjusted effect estimates for each cohort; (iii) pooling of effect estimates by using random effects meta-analysis models.

Results
We found no association between furry and feathered pet keeping early in life and asthma in school age. For example, the odds ratio for asthma comparing cat ownership with “no pets” (10 studies, 11489 participants) was 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.28) (I2 = 9%; p = 0.36). The odds ratio for asthma comparing dog ownership with “no pets” (9 studies, 11433 participants) was 0.77 (0.58 to 1.03) (I2 = 0%, p = 0.89). Owning both cat(s) and dog(s) compared to “no pets” resulted in an odds ratio of 1.04 (0.59 to 1.84) (I2 = 33%, p = 0.18). Similarly, for allergic asthma and for allergic rhinitis we did not find associations regarding any type of pet ownership early in life. However, we found some evidence for an association between ownership of furry pets during the first 2 years of life and reduced likelihood of becoming sensitized to aero-allergens.

Conclusions
Pet ownership in early life did not appear to either increase or reduce the risk of asthma or allergic rhinitis symptoms in children aged 6-10. Advice from health care practitioners to avoid or to specifically acquire pets for primary prevention of asthma or allergic rhinitis in children should not be given.

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Published date: 29 August 2012
Organisations: Clinical & Experimental Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 351119
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/351119
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 2498d356-b9e5-47a1-8ad0-4ea1ee619a68
ORCID for Graham Roberts: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-1248

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Date deposited: 16 Apr 2013 09:15
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:22

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Contributors

Author: Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen
Author: Stephanie Roll
Author: Kai-Håkon Carlsen
Author: Petter Mowinckel
Author: Alet H. Wijga
Author: Bert Brunekreef
Author: Maties Torrent
Author: Graham Roberts ORCID iD
Author: S. Hasan Arshad
Author: Inger Kull
Author: Ursula Krämer
Author: Andrea von Berg
Author: Esben Eller
Author: Arne Høst
Author: Claudia Kuehni
Author: Ben Spycher
Author: Jordi Sunyer
Author: Chih-Mei Chen
Author: Andreas Reich
Author: Anna Asarnoj
Author: Carmen Puig
Author: Olf Herbarth
Author: Jestinah M. Mahachie John
Author: Kristel Van Steen
Author: Stefan N. Willich
Author: Ulrich Wahn
Author: Susanne Lau
Author: Thomas Keil

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