title: Cat ownership is a risk factor for the development of anti-cat IgE but not current wheeze at age 5 years in an inner-city cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cat ownership is inversely associated with atopy and asthma in some areas of the world, but the relevance of cat ownership to allergic disease in the inner city is less known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to evaluate the relationship between cat ownership and the development of early sensitization and wheeze.
  
  
  METHODS
  By using a prospective birth cohort study, Dominican and African American mothers living in New York City underwent repeated questionnaires about their child from birth to age 5 years. Sera collected from children at ages 2 (n = 323), 3 (n = 336), and 5 (n = 242) years were assayed for anti-cat IgE and anti-Fel d 1 IgG antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cat ownership was a significant risk factor for the development of anti-cat IgE by age 2 years (risk ratio [RR], 6.4; 95% CI, 1.9-22) but not for anti-cat IgE development between the ages of 2 and 5 years (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.24-2.3). Current wheeze was significantly more common among those children with anti-cat IgE at ages 3 (RR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.1-6.0) and 5 (RR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.3-4.9) years. Cat ownership was inversely associated with current wheeze at age 5 years among children without anti-cat IgE (RR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.083-0.81). Among children with anti-cat IgE, a similar trend was observed (RR, 0.57; P = .044, Fisher exact test), although one with borderline statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a positive association with sensitization, cat ownership in this inner-city cohort was inversely associated with wheeze, potentially suggesting an IgE-independent protective mechanism in this community.
authors.affiliation: Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. mp2217@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Perzanowski
authors.forename: Ginger L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Divjan
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Inge F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Robin S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Garfinkel
authors.forename: Lori A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hoepner
authors.forename: Thomas A E
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Platts-Mills
authors.forename: Frederica P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology; D002415:Cats / Q000276:immunology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000276:immunology*; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E