title: In utero exposure to pets is associated with asthma and wheezing in Mexican American children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the associations of in utero and early life exposure to cats/dogs and birds with the risk of lifetime doctor-diagnosed asthma and other respiratory conditions in a sample of Mexican American (MA) children 4-18 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a population-based cross-sectional investigation of 1816 MA children. We conducted multiple logistic models examining the relationship of asthma and wheezing with exposures to cats/dogs and birds in utero, infancy and at the time of the survey adjusted for country of birth, family history of asthma/allergies, antibiotics use in infancy and other covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In adjusted analyses, in utero exposure to cats/dogs and birds jointly was associated with increased odds of asthma (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.89; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34-6.23), ever wheezing (aOR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.11-3.46) and current exercise-induced wheezing (aOR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.27-7.85) compared to children not exposed to these pets in utero. Children who were exposed to both cats/dogs and birds in utero had an elevated, albeit statistically non-significant, odds of current wheezing. Exposures in infancy and at the time of the survey to cats/dogs and birds were not associated with asthma or wheezing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In utero exposure to pets might be associated with an increased risk of asthma and respiratory conditions in a sample of non-affluent MA children.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Systems Science , College of Nursing and.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eldeirawi
authors.affiliation: b Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunzweiler
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Systems Science , College of Nursing and.
authors.forename: Angela M T
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Combs
authors.affiliation: b Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Victoria W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Persky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D001717:Birds; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D057805:Pets / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Asthma; Mexican Americans; birds; cats/dogs; children; pets; pregnancy; wheezing