A Study Shows There May Be a Link Between Cats and a Reduction in Asthma Symptoms in Children

No parent wants their child to have asthma, yet it can seem as though there’s nothing that can be done to prevent it. The truth is that it’s not your fault if your child has asthma and there are steps you can take to treat their asthma. It’s also true, according to a recent study anyway, that cats can not only help prevent babies from developing asthma, but could help prevent other diseases as well. Read on to learn more and then contact Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group if you or your child needs to be treated for asthma.

The specifics of the study

The study was done by scientists and researchers at the Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood Research Center in Denmark. Their investigation determined that cats could help babies not develop asthma. They also found that cats can help reduce a child’s chance of developing pneumonia and bronchitis. The researchers studied dogs as well but did not find that they had the same impact.

There is mixed data overall

While the study above had a very optimistic result, it’s important to remember that there is mixed data overall regarding whether or not pets can affect how likely a person is to develop an allergy or asthma, and the data is also mixed about how much it affects the likelihood, if it does at all. It appears that certain disorders tend to be more likely when a person grows up with certain pets, and other disorders are less likely if the person in question grows up with other pets.

It appears to be all about a gene called TT

According to several studies, it seems that what’s causing these reactions all has to do with a specific gene, which is known as TT. It has been implicated as the cause of relationships between developing certain allergies and having pets. A person that has a specific genetic variant of this TT gene end up being about twice as likely to develop conditions that are known as atopy conditions. Asthma is one of those conditions.

The study followed 377 children

The study was a Danish study in which 377 children were considered. Each of those children had a mother who had asthma. The researchers then looked at the genes of the children and allergens found in their beds. About 33% of the kids had the TT genetic variant that, according to previous research, should have increased their asthma risk.

Of those children who were more likely to get asthma, those who had a cat in their home were less likely to get asthma. The study couldn’t determine for certain why this is the case, but scientists have a theory: They believe that something about the child being exposed to the cat somehow prevents the TT gene in those kids from getting activated. There will be additional research to find out how having pets can help protect kids from developing asthma and other allergies.