|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Mar 08, 2001 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- For children with allergies, the family cat may help lower chances of developing asthma, a study of more than 200 school-age children has found.
That doesn't mean categorically that a cat in the house can prevent asthma, however, emphasized study leader Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Platts-Mills said high level of exposure to cats might produce the same effect as so-called allergy shots, which are intended to overcome the body's allergic reaction to different stimuli such as cats, dogs or pollen.
The study appears in the March 10 issue of the The Lancet.
While high exposure to cats appears to promote this immune protection from asthma, he said, high exposure to dust mites does not have the same effect. Children with high exposure to dust mites, frequently found in pillows and mattresses, tended to become more sensitive to dust mites, Platts-Mills said.
He studied middle-school children, ages 12 and 13. They all underwent skin tests to confirm allergies to cats and dust mites. The children's homes were then tested for cat dander and dust mites.
Platts-Mills told United Press International he isn't sure whether his study's findings can be applied to babies.
Dr. John McBride, a pediatric asthma specialist from Children's Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, noted most asthma experts think asthma is related to allergies.
"But babies aren't born with these sensitivities, and so many researchers have been trying to determine how one becomes sensitized." McBride said others have observed that "children raised with cats or dogs seem to be protected from asthma, so several people are trying to figure out what is happening in those cases."
He said Platts-Mills' paper suggests a different type of allergic response is happening, "one that doesn't lead to asthma." Platts-Mills said blood tests on the children showed those who lived with cats had a modified immune response "different from those with low exposure."
McBride said children born to mothers who have asthma are considered to be at very high risk for the disease. Given that, he said he would continue to advise that such children avoid cats.
(Reported by Peggy Peck in Cleveland, Ohio.)
Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
SUBJECT CODE: 07000000 08000000
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 09 March 2001 |