据英国每日电讯报6月14日报道，日前有研究表明，家里有只宠物，孩子在发育成长过程中，对动物过敏的概率会减少一半。研究发表在近日出版的《临床与实验变态反应》杂志上。
研究对600个青少年进行了跟踪调查，发现在他们的生命早期阶段和猫狗接触，能预防其以后对猫狗出现过敏反应。以猫过敏为例，这是由猫皮屑和唾液中的一种蛋白质导致，症状有眼睛干涩、打喷嚏、哮喘和皮疹。猫过敏在哮喘病患者中很常见，40%的哮喘患者都受其影响。
专家研究了志愿者在18岁时候的血液样本，在有宠物的孩子和没有宠物的孩子之间比较了他们的猫狗过敏原抗体水平。他们发现，年轻男子在1岁期间有狗为伴的，他们对狗过敏的可能性只有没狗家庭中孩子的一半；无论男女在1岁期间有猫为伴的，对猫过敏的可能性只有没猫家庭中孩子的一半。
领导该研究的美国亨利·福特医院公共卫生科学部加内沙·维金卡说：“家中有宠物的，让孩子和猫狗在一起，不会增加动物过敏的风险，而是降低风险。以前的研究认为，出生后第一年是孩子建立起防御机制的最重要时期，在1岁之前的经历与他们其将来的健康状态密切相关，该研究也为此提供了进一步证据，表明在早期生命中和宠物接触，让大部分孩子今后不会对宠物过敏。”
你能想到它们能提高孩子的免疫力吗？
生物探索推荐英语摘要
Lifetime dog and cat exposure and dog‐ and cat‐specific sensitization at age 18 years
Abstract: Prior research about whether keeping a dog or cat at home causes allergies to that pet has been limited to outcomes in early childhood.Objective Evaluate the association between lifetime dog and cat exposure and allergic sensitization to the specific animal at 18 years of age.Methods Participants enrolled in the Detroit Childhood Allergy Study birth cohort during 1987–1989 were contacted at the age 18 years. Sensitization to dog or cat was defined as animal‐specific IgE0.35 kU/L. Annual interview data from childhood and follow‐up interviews at age 18 years were used to determine lifetime indoor dog and cat exposure (indoor was defined when the animal spent >50% of their time inside the house). Exposure was considered in various ways: first year, age groups and cumulative lifetime. Analyses were conducted separately for dogs and cats.Results Among males, those with an indoor dog during the first year of life had half the risk [relative risk (RR)=0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27, 0.92] of being sensitized to dogs at age 18 compared with those who did not have an indoor dog in the first year. This was also true for males and females born via c‐section (RR=0.33, 95% CI 0.07, 0.97). Overall, teens with an indoor cat in the first year of life had a decreased risk (RR=0.52, 95% CI 0.31, 0.90) of being sensitized to cats. Neither cumulative exposure nor exposure at any other particular age was associated with either outcome.Conclusions and Clinical Relevance The first year of life is the critical period during childhood when indoor exposure to dogs or cats influences sensitization to these animals.Cite this as: G. Wegienka, C. C. Johnson, S. Havstad, D. R. Ownby, C. Nicholas and E. M. Zoratti, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2011 (41) 979–986.
