AUTHOR=Li Chunxiao , Chen Qian , Zhang Xi , Li Huaguo , Liu Quanhua , Fei Ping , Huang Lisu , Yao Zhirong 

TITLE=Early Life Domestic Pet Ownership, and the Risk of Pet Sensitization and Atopic Dermatitis in Preschool Children: A Prospective Birth Cohort in Shanghai

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2020.00192

DOI=10.3389/fped.2020.00192

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Although domestic pet ownership is on the rise, the impact of early life pet ownership on children's pet sensitization and atopic dermatitis (AD) remains controversial.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Shanghai Allergy Cohort is an ongoing prospective study followed up to the age of 5 years. Pregnant mothers were recruited and their offspring were followed up every year by a group of pediatricians. Information on furred pet ownership was collected by the questionnaire. AD was diagnosed by dermatologists according to disease history and Williams criteria at 5 years ± 1 months. Skin prick test (SPT) was performed to determine sensitization to specific allergens. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between pet ownership and AD, dog/cat sensitization.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> In the 538 children at preschool age, 112 (20.82%) were diagnosed with AD. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina were the most common allergens, and almost 10% of children were positive to dog and cat. The percentage of positive SPT reactors at 5-year old was 65.28% in the group of children with AD, higher than that in non-AD group (44.57%). Domestic pet ownership at both infant and preschool period was positively associated with an increased risk of sensitization to dog (OR <sub>adjusted</sub> = 2.85 [95% CI: 1.08–7.50 for infant exposure], OR <sub>adjusted</sub> = 2.73 [95% CI: 1.33–5.61] for preschool exposure), and interestingly, pet ownership at infant period negatively associated with higher risk of AD at 5-year old (OR adjusted = 0.33 [95% CI: 0.12–0.88]).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> This is the first prospective birth cohort study in Shanghai that found half of preschool children had positive allergen sensitization even in the non-AD children. Although early life exposure to dog may increase the risk of dog sensitization, it significantly decreased the risk of AD. The underlying mechanisms warrant further investigations.</p>