Sensitization to Furry Animals in Patients with Suspected Allergic Disease in China: A Multicenter Study

Figures & data

Table 1 The Demographic and Allergy Sensitization Characteristics of the Participants

Variables	Total	Cat Dander		P value*	Dog Dander		P value^†	Horse Dander		P value^‡
	n=2377(%)	n	Po%		n	Po%		n	Po%
Age
<18 years	1561 (65.7)	295	18.9	<0.001	170	10.9	<0.001	115	7.4	<0.000
≥18 years	816 (34.3)	60	7.4		52	6.4		16	2.0
Median(P25, P75)	10 (6, 28)	9 (7, 13)			10 (6, 15)			9 (6, 12)
Gender
Male	1360 (57.2)	234	17.2	<0.001	139	10.2	0.088	76	5.6	0.849
Female	1017 (42.8)	121	11.9		83	8.2		55	5.4
Ethnic groups
Han	2168 (91.2)	310	14.3	0.005	194	8.9	0.035	117	5.4	0.431
Others	209 (8.8)	45	21.5		28	13.4		14	6.7
Family history
One of the parents	712 (30.0)	120	16.9	0.016	73	10.3	0.018	45	6.3	0.274
Both of the parents	229 (9.6)	45	19.7		32	14.0		18	7.9
None	1101 (46.3)	146	13.3		90	8.2		58	5.3
Region
Western	1486 (62.52)	273	18.4	<0.001	173	11.6	<0.001	81	5.5	0.868
Eastern	891 (37.48)	82	9.2		49	5.5		50	5.6
Living location
Downtown	1505 (63.3)	242	16.1	0.115	165	11.0	0.001	93	6.2	0.161
Urban	358 (15.0)	51	14.2		25	7.0		23	6.4
Rural	205 (8.6)	22	10.7		8	3.9		6	2.9
Delivery mode
Vaginal delivery	1417 (59.61)	197	13.9	0.002	138	9.7	0.931	76	5.4	0.105
Cesarean delivery	655 (27.56)	126	19.2		63	9.6		47	7.2
Passive smoking
Yes	1119 (47.1)	191	17.1	0.025	115	10.3	0.212	62	5.5	0.465
No	969 (40.8)	131	13.5		84	8.7		61	6.3
Using air conditioner
Yes	1249 (52.5)	157	12.6	<0.001	102	8.2	0.013	70	5.6	0.532
No	814 (34.2)	158	19.4		93	11.4		51	6.3
Using mattress
Yes	1851 (77.9)	293	15.8	0.048	177	9.6	0.902	116	6.3	0.041
No	215 (9.0)	23	10.7		20	9.3		6	2.8

Notes: Chi-square test was used to compare differences in the positive rate of animal allergens between different groups (Fisher’s exact test was used when the expected count is less than 5). If the difference between groups is statistically significant, use bold fonts. n - Number of patients with positive results; Po% - Prevalence of animal sensitization. *P value of sensitization rates in cats grouped by different variables; ^†P value of sensitization rates in dogs grouped by different variables; ^‡P values of sensitization rates in horses grouped by different variables.

Figure 1 Distribution of positive rates (A) and specific IgE levels (B) of cat, dog and horse dander allergens in 2377 subjects with suspected atopy.

Figure 2 The co-sensitization between cat, dog and horse dander. The Venn Diagram shows the number of patients what were co-sensitized.

Figure 3 Distribution of furry animals sensitization rate in different age-groups. n - Total number of subjects in each age group.

Figure 4 Heatmap for the prevalence of positive sIgE tests for cat dander (A), dog dander (B) and horse dander (C) in different regions. The prevalence (%) of each province were marked.

Figure 5 Risk factor analysis for animal allergen sensitization in patients with suspected allergic disease. Crude odds ratio and 95% CI of risk factors for cat sensitization (A), dog sensitization (C) and horse sensitization (E), adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI of risk factors for cat sensitization (B), dog sensitization (D) and horse sensitization (F). Multivariable-adjusted analysis included all factors in the univariate (crude) analysis. ORs of 1.00 indicate reference values. ORs associated with a P value of <0.05 are presented in red font. aOR - adjusted odds ratio. *No symptoms were reported after exposure to animal allergens. ^†Allergic symptoms were reported after exposure to animal allergens. ^‡Patients living below the 9th floor.