Age difference in pet sensitization by pet ownership.

Won, Jun Yeon; Kwon, Jea-Woo; Hong, Seung-No; Lee, Woo Hyun

Background The association between pet sensitization and pet ownership remains unclear. We elucidated the association between pet sensitization and pet ownership by age. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 2883 patients who visited our allergy clinic for nasal symptoms from January 2003 to December 2014; 1957 patients with data on skin-prick tests and questionnaire responses were included, and divided into adult (age>19) and children (≤19) groups; the association between pet sensitization and pet ownership was evaluated in both groups. Results Among the children, dog and cat sensitization showed no association with dog and cat ownership, respectively. Dog sensitization was significantly associated with dog ownership [odds ratio (OR)=3.283, p<0.001], and cat sensitization with cat ownership (OR=13.732, p<0.001) in the adult group. After adjustment for age, sex, familial history of allergy, sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, other pet ownership, and non-pet sensitization, the association was significant in dog sensitization with dog ownership [adjusted OR (aOR)=3.881, p<0.001], and cat sensitization with cat ownership (aOR=10.804, p<0.001) among adults. Dog ownership did not show any association with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or atopic dermatitis, whereas atopic dermatitis had a significant association with cat ownership in adults (aOR = 4.840, p<0.001). Conclusion Pet ownership in adulthood increases risk of pet sensitization. However, pet ownership was not associated with prevalence of atopic disorders, regardless of age, except for atopic dermatitis and cat ownership in adults.