Children who grow up in a home with a dog are twice less likely to suffer from childhood asthma, a new study has shown. The presence of a cat, however, did not have a similar effect.
Scientists from the Sick Children hospital in Toronto, Canada, analyzed dust samples from the homes of 1,050 infants aged three to four months and monitored them until they were five years old. During this period, 6.6% of the participants were diagnosed with asthma.
The results showed that children exposed to higher levels of the Can f1 allergen, secreted by dog skin and saliva, had a 48% lower risk of developing asthma. They also displayed better lung function, which was measured by the volume of air they could exhale in one second after a deep breath.
The effect was particularly noticeable in children with a genetically increased risk of reduced lung function. In contrast, no protective effect was found in children exposed to cat allergens or bacterial endotoxins. The study data opens up new possibilities for the prevention of asthma in children, but scientists and doctors note the need for further research to understand exactly how living with pets influences the long-term development of a child’s respiratory system.
