More Develop Allergic Reaction to Cats

Increased exposure to cat allergen is associated with greater bronchial responsiveness in people with some common allergies, found a British study.

The unexpected findings suggest that reduced exposure to cats may be beneficial for allergic individuals, regardless of their specific allergies, according to lead author Susan Chinn, of the Imperial College in London.

The study examined cross-sectional data from 1,884 participants in 20 centers in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey follow-up, which included measurements of house dust mite and cat allergen in mattress dust samples, and data on sensitization to four major allergens — cat, house dust mite, a common mold and timothy grass.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, suggests that all allergic individuals have signs of asthmatic responses if exposed to cat allergen, even if blood tests show that they are not allergic to cats.

The study supports and clarifies previous research that has found that asthma is strongly related to indoor allergens, according to Chinn.