Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb;53(1):360-365.
doi: 10.55730/1300-0144.5592. Epub 2023 Feb 22.

Characteristics of children with cat sensitivity: a prospective cross-sectional study

Ezgi Ulusoy Severcan  1 , Nevzat Başkaya  1 , Ayşegül Ertuğrul  1 , Zeynep Şengül Emeksiz  1 , İlknur Bostancı  1
Affiliations

Characteristics of children with cat sensitivity: a prospective cross-sectional study

Ezgi Ulusoy Severcan et al. Turk J Med Sci. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Animal dander is one of the most common respiratory allergens in children, and there is evidence that cat sensitivity is a risk factor for asthma and allergic rhinitis. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate children with cat sensitivity and to identify their demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: Patients who were found to be sensitive to cats following skin prick tests performed in our allergy clinic over a period of one year (and two control groups), were included in the study. Patients in the study and control groups filled in a questionnaire including demographic and clinical characteristics.

Results: The prevalence of cat sensitivity in our allergy clinic was 6% (182/3033). The most common diagnoses in patients were 41.8% allergic rhinitis, 25.8% asthma, and 13.2% allergic rhinitis + asthma. Allergic rhinitis symptoms were the most prevalent symptom associated with cat contact (29.4%), whereas 28% of the patients were asymptomatic. Only 17.3% had a cat at home and 13.4% had cat exposure apart from home but having a cat at home was significantly higher than the control groups (p < 0.05). Eosinophilia was present in 54.6% of the patients, and 17.3% had blood tIgE levels of >1000 IU/mL. Eosinophilia and tIgE levels were significantly higher than both control groups (p < 0.05).

Discussion: Cat ownership can affect the development of cat sensitivity but the majority of patients with cat sensitivity are not cat owners. Elevated tIgE levels (> 1000 IU/mL) may be associated with cat sensitivity, these patients should be evaluated for cat sensitivity, even if they do not report symptoms with cat contact.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; asthma; cat; cat sensitivity; total IgE.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for inclusion of patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagnosis of the patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chan SK, Leung DYM. Dog and cat allergies: Current state of diagnostic approaches and challenges. Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Research. 2018;10(2):97–105. doi: 10.4168/aair.2018.10.2.97. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Perzanowski MS, Rönmark E, Platts-Mills TAE, Lundbäck B. Effect of cat and dog ownership on sensitization and development of asthma among preteenage children. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2002;166(5):696–702. doi: 10.1164/rccm.2201035. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Curin M, Hilger C. Allergy to pets and new allergies to uncommon pets. Allergologie Select. 2017;1(2):214–222. doi: 10.5414/ALX01842E. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ojwang V, Nwaru BI, Takkinen HM, Kaila M, Niemelä O, et al. Early exposure to cats, dogs and farm animals and the risk of childhood asthma and allergy. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. 2020;31(3):265–272. doi: 10.1111/pai.13186. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dharmage SC, Lodge CL, Matheson MC, Campbell B, Lowe AJ. Exposure to cats: Update on risks for sensitization and allergic diseases. Current Allergy Asthma Reports. 2012;12(5):413–423. doi: 10.1007/s11882-012-0288-x. - DOI - PubMed