Dog keeping at home before and during pregnancy decreased the risk of food allergy in 1-year-old children

Katarzyna Smejda; Kinga Polanska; Wlodzimierz Stelmach; Pawel Majak; Iwona Stelmach

doi:10.5114/ada.2018.80584

Dog keeping at home before and during pregnancy decreased the risk of food allergy in 1-year-old children

Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2020 Apr;37(2):255-261. doi: 10.5114/ada.2018.80584. Epub 2020 May 6.

Authors

Katarzyna Smejda¹, Kinga Polanska², Wlodzimierz Stelmach³, Pawel Majak⁴, Iwona Stelmach¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Copernicus Memorial Hospital, Lodz, Poland.
² Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland.
³ Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.

Abstract

Introduction: The relationship between allergen exposure to animals in pregnancy and the development of allergic symptoms is not clear.

Aim: To evaluate the association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to pet ownership and development of atopic dermatitis, food allergy and wheezing in children at the age of 1 and 2.

Material and methods: The mother-child pairs included in this study were part of the Polish Mother and Child Cohort. Mothers in each trimester of pregnancy and 1 year after childbirth have completed a questionnaire on animal exposure. Children's health status was assessed at around one year and two years of age.

Results: Keeping a dog at home before and during pregnancy (every trimester) decreased the risk of food allergy in the first year of life. On the other hand, keeping any animal other than a dog (cat, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit) before pregnancy and during each trimester separately increased the risk of food allergy in the first year of life of children. Keeping a guinea pig in the first trimester of pregnancy increased the risk of wheezing in the first year of life. The analysis did not show any significant associations between keeping animals at home before and during pregnancy and the occurrence of atopic dermatitis in the second year of life.

Conclusions: Keeping a dog at home before and during pregnancy decreased the risk of food allergy in 1-year-old children. This effect was eliminated in case of having a cat, hamster, guinea pig, or rabbit.

Keywords: allergic diseases; children; pet.