TY - JOUR
T1 - Exposure to pets and atopy-related diseases in the first 4 years of life
AU - Nafstad, P
AU - Magnus, P
AU - Gaarder, PI
AU - Jaakkola, Jouni
PY - 2001/4/1
Y1 - 2001/4/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: It is still unclear how early-life exposure to pets is related to children's risk of developing atopy-related diseases. We estimated associations between early-life exposure to pets and atopy-related diseases at 0-4 years of life in a cohort of Norwegian children. METHODS: A population-based cohort of 2531 children born in Oslo, Norway, was followed from birth to the age of 4 years. Information on early-life exposure to pets, a number of possible confounders, and atopy-related diseases was mainly collected by questionnaire. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratio for being exposed to pets in early life (reference category: not exposed) was, for bronchial obstruction at 0-2 years of life, 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.9, 1.8); for asthma at the age of 4 years, 0.7 (0.5, 1.1); for allergic rhinitis at the age of 4 years, 0.6 (0.4, 1.0); and for atopic eczema at 0-6 months of life, 0.7 (0.5, 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that early-life exposure to pets or lifestyle factors associated with exposure to pets reduce the risk of developing atopy-related diseases in early childhood. However, these findings might also be explained by selection for keeping pets.
AB - BACKGROUND: It is still unclear how early-life exposure to pets is related to children's risk of developing atopy-related diseases. We estimated associations between early-life exposure to pets and atopy-related diseases at 0-4 years of life in a cohort of Norwegian children. METHODS: A population-based cohort of 2531 children born in Oslo, Norway, was followed from birth to the age of 4 years. Information on early-life exposure to pets, a number of possible confounders, and atopy-related diseases was mainly collected by questionnaire. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratio for being exposed to pets in early life (reference category: not exposed) was, for bronchial obstruction at 0-2 years of life, 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.9, 1.8); for asthma at the age of 4 years, 0.7 (0.5, 1.1); for allergic rhinitis at the age of 4 years, 0.6 (0.4, 1.0); and for atopic eczema at 0-6 months of life, 0.7 (0.5, 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that early-life exposure to pets or lifestyle factors associated with exposure to pets reduce the risk of developing atopy-related diseases in early childhood. However, these findings might also be explained by selection for keeping pets.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035103081&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00881.x
DO - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00881.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 11284797
SN - 1398-9995
SN - 1398-9995
VL - 56
SP - 307
EP - 312
JO - Allergy
JF - Allergy
ER -