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Cats 'raise risk of child eczema'
Other studies have suggested cats can be protective against eczema Children who are exposed to cats soon after birth may have an increased risk of developing eczema, a study suggests. But the US researchers found that being exposed to two or more dogs at home produced a slightly protective effect. Eczema experts said it was too early to draw firm conclusions from the study, being presented at a US conference. But they said parents should not remove pets from households as children might go on to develop allergies later in life when re-exposed to pet hair. Other studies have found that having cats or dogs at home seems to be protective against allergic diseases Dr Morales Lead researcher The team led by paediatric expert Esmeralda Morales from the University of Arizona in Tucson followed 486 children from birth. They asked parents how many cats and dogs they had in the house when the child was born. They then followed them up one year on to see which children had been diagnosed with eczema. Just over 27% of 134 children with cats as pets had eczema by age one, compared with 17.8% of the 286 without cats in their household. But of the 76 children living in houses with two or more dogs, only 13.2% (10) had eczema, compared to 22% (71 out of 324) of those who did not have the condition. Research leader Dr Morales said: "Other studies have found that having cats or dogs at home seems to be protective against allergic diseases, so we expected to have similar findings. "Pets are a source of a compound called endotoxin, and if a child is exposed to endotoxin early in life, the immune system may be skewed away from developing an allergic profile." She acknowledged the findings added more questions about pets and asthma and allergies. Cat allergies "Since there is a lot of contradictory data out there already, clearly it's a topic that needs further research," she said. The study is being presented at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society on Sunday. Dr Sue Lewis-Jones, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokeswoman, said the study was interesting but that it was too early to draw conclusions from it. "There are many questions about the risk of exposure to pets and atopic diseases like eczema. "We should be cautious about removing pets from the home environment, because children who are currently tolerant of pet hair may go on to develop an allergy when re-exposed to animal hair at a later stage," said Dr Lewis Jones. "There is a lot of contradictory data around this subject and it is definitely one that would benefit from further research." Rashes She added that forcibly removing a pet from the home could have an emotional impact on the child which may in itself worsen the eczema. A spokeswoman for the Cats Protection League said: "As the researchers themselves say, most evidence shows that children who have cats as pets have a reduced risk of developing asthma and other allergies in later life, so this new piece of research is rather surprising." She said further research to disprove this view was needed and that the league would be very interested in the results. Cat allergy is the most common pet allergy, affecting up to 40% of asthma sufferers. It is caused by a tiny protein in a cat's skin flakes and saliva, which is deposited on the fur when the animal grooms itself by licking. It can trigger an allergic reaction within minutes if it is breathed in by the allergy-sufferer. The symptoms usually include itchy eyes, sneezing, asthma and the skin rashes typical of eczema.

 

Time-saving tips

As well as using good time management, another way to find time to exercise is to build it into the natural rhythm of your day. Depending on your lifestyle, you might want to consider the following ideas.

 

If you're in employment

Despite advances in technology, many of us still spend more - rather then less - time at work. However, there are ways in which you can be more active:

• Go for a walk in your lunch break. Try to find at least three different walks and vary them throughout the week. It might even be possible to find an indoor walking route, incorporating stair climbing, for those inevitable bad weather days.

• Have meetings 'on the hoof'. There's no reason why one-to-one meetings with clients and colleagues can't take place while walking around the local park rather then sitting in an office. Such meetings can be an excellent way of breaking the ice with new contacts.

• Talk to you employers about promoting health at work. Ask if it's possible for them to provide showers and cycle racks to encourage people to cycle to and from work. You might also be able to encourage them to set up a gymnasium. Sell the idea by pointing out that doing so will improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and result in a happier and more efficient workforce.

• Walk to and from work. If you live too far away, park further from the office or get off the bus or Tube one stop earlier.

If you look after children

Having children can change everything about your lifestyle. Some parents find their activity levels drop and their weight increases as going to the gym or playing sport becomes more difficult. Here are some positive steps you can take:

• Exercise with your child. Take them to the local swimming pool or play in the garden or local park.

• Find out which local sports and leisure centres have crèche facilities, so you can exercise while your children are being looked after.

• Walk your child to school. Not only will this help you to be active, it will also help your child develop an early pattern of physical activity that might stay with them into adulthood.

• Find out if there are activities available at your child's school for the local community. Many schools use their facilities for sports and exercise classes in the evenings and at weekends.

• Ask your child what you can do to be more active. You might be surprised by what they've learned in PE - and perhaps you've forgotten what fun it is to play childhood games!

If you're a student

As well as studying vocational and academic courses, students learn about and experiment with new lifestyles. Get into good habits by trying out the following:

• Go for walks with friends to talk about your studies. Brainstorming about an essay as you walk around the campus can be a productive use of your time.

• Spend some time in the learning resource centre reading about sport, exercise and health. The more you know, the more choices you have about how to be physically active.

• Most colleges run sport and exercise programmes that students can take part in. Find out which activities are on offer, and try those you think you might enjoy. Be adventurous and pick something you've not tried before.

If you're based at home

If you find you spend most of your day in the house, try these tips to stay active and healthy:

• Plan your week so you have to walk to the shops frequently. By going often you'll only have to carry light bags of shopping back.

• Look at ways in which you can be more active in and around your home. Use the stairs to exercise, work on the garden or install some gym equipment, for example. Even hiding the remote control for the TV can help.

• Look for community-based activity programmes in your local area. These don't have to be fitness classes, just anything that gets you moving. Conservation groups can be a great way to get involved in improving your local environment and being active at the same time.

No time like the present

Exercise is never a waste of time, it's an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It reduces your risk of heart attack and is an essential component in controlling body weight.

It is also something you can do with other people, which can be great fun. So, there's no time like the present to make that commitment to yourself to find time to exercise and improve your health.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in September 2005.
First published in May 2001.

 

 

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