Pet Ownership in the UAE: Its Effect on Allergy and Respiratory Symptoms

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to study the effect of pets and other domestic animals on bronchial asthma among United Arab Emirates (UAE) schoolchildren aged 6-14 years. A cross-sectional study of 850 schoolchildren living in both urban and rural areas (average age 9.36 +/- 2.11 years, 46.8% boys and 53.2% girls) was conducted using self-administered questionnaires between October 1992 and May 1993. Prevalence rate for asthma, rhinitis, wheeze, cough, and eczema in children from families with and without animals were investigated. A total of 40.7% of families studied were found to keep animals in their homes. Children from families with animals were found to have a significantly higher prevalence rate of respiratory symptoms than those without. The prevalence rate for asthma in children with animals was found to be twice that of children without (RR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.40-2.95). The risk of having chronic cough (RR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.21-3.10), breathlessness/chest tightness (RR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.59-4.02), chronic wheeze (RR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.20-3.67), allergic rhinitis (RR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.17-2.00) was significantly higher in children with animals than in children without. Similarly, the risk of having eczema (RR: 2.55; 95%, CI: 1.74-3.75) was significantly higher among children with animals than among those without. Overall, there was a highly statistically significant difference in the prevalence of asthma, wheeze, nocturnal cough, eczema, and rhinitis between children in families with animals and those without (p < 0.0001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)