Child and asthma? Get a dog…

Children who grow up in a home with a dog are at less risk for developing asthma, according to Swedish…
researchers. The contact with the dog during the first year of life seemed to be associated with 13% less likely to manifest later in the child developing asthma, says a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, based on a sample of 650.000 children were studied. The study seems to support the theory that pets strengthen the immune system of children and protect them from allergies.

Pets are a common cause of allergic reaction. According to data of the organisation Allergy UK, 50% of asthmatic children are allergic to cats and 40% have an allergy to dogs. However, the findings of a new study suggest that the contact with the dog in the early stages of life helps the child not to manifest later asthma. Specifically, children who grew up in a home with a dog were less likely to develop asthma at age 7 years compared with children who had not until then frequent contact with the delicious four-legged, reports the related story from the BBC. Life on a farm, and therefore, contact with a lot of animals– it seemed to be even more beneficial for children, as well as the risk of asthma was reduced by 50%.
The head of the study, Tove Fall, Uppsala University mentions that the new findings support the theory that exposure to dust and other substances at a young age increases the tolerance to common allergens. At the same time, it is particularly reassuring for couples who have a pet and are going to make a child. However, the researchers point out that if a child has already expressed an asthma or allergy in the dog, the presence of a pet in the house is not going to act comforting.