Those children who already have an above average risk of asthma, due to history of asthma in the family could find that their risk increases by the fact of having a dog in the house. A recent study conducted on 380 children found that those 7 year old who were exposed to dog allergens were more likely to have asthma.
Cat allergen however, was not seen to pose the same risk according to the study published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.
Though the reasons for this are not fully clear, one of the reasons could be enodotoxin.
Endotoxin, which is seen to be produced by certain bacteria, can be responsible for inflaming the airways which in turn triggers an attack. Endotoxin is far more commonly occurring in dogs than in cats.
However, those parents who are looking to bid a teary farewell to their furry friend may be acting in haste. According to researchers, there is still not enough evidence to recommend or not recommend to having pets.
The asthma risk from pets is not clearly enough established yet to banish the pooch. In the study, other factors were also seen to contribute to increasing asthma risk.
Source: Reuters
