Journal
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 121, Issue 4, Pages 1047-1052Publisher
MOSBY-ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.02.005
Keywords
cat; asthma; allergy; wheeze.; inner-city; rhinitis; IgE; IgG; fel d 1
Categories
Funding
- NCRR NIH HHS [M01 RR000645, RR00645] Funding Source: Medline
- NIEHS NIH HHS [P01 ES009600, P01 ES009600-11, R03 ES013308-02, R01 ES008977-13, 5 R01 ES08977, P01 ES09600, P30 ES009089, R01 ES008977, P30 ES009089-04S3, R03 ES013308, R03ES013308] Funding Source: Medline
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Background: Cat ownership is inversely associated with atopy and asthma in some areas of the world, but the relevance of cat ownership to allergic disease in the inner city is less known. Objective: We sought to evaluate the relationship between cat ownership and the development of early sensitization and wheeze. Methods: By using a prospective birth cohort study, Dominican and African American mothers living in New York City underwent repeated questionnaires about their child from birth to, age 5 years. Sera collected from children at ages 2 (n = 323), 3 (n = 336), and 5 (n = 242) years were assayed for anti-cat IgE and anti-Fel d 1 IgG antibodies. Results: Cat ownership was a significant risk factor for the development of anti-cat IgE by age 2 years (risk ratio [RR], 6.4; 95% CI, 1.9-22) but not for anti-cat IgE development between the ages of 2 and 5 years (RR, 0.88; 95% Cl, 0.24-2.3). Current wheeze was significantly more common among those children with anti-cat IgE at ages 3 (RR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.1-6.0) and 5 (RR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.3-4.9) years. Cat ownership was inversely associated with current wheeze at age 5 years among children without anti-cat IgE (RR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.083-0.81). Among children with anti-cat IgE, a similar trend was observed (RR, 0.57; P =.044, Fisher exact test), although one with borderline statistical significance. Conclusions: Despite a positive association with sensitization, cat ownership in this inner-city cohort was inversely associated with wheeze, potentially suggesting an IgE-independent protective mechanism in this community.
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