Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the study subjects (n = 238)
| All subjects (n = 238) | Allergy to both dog and cat (n = 28) | Allergy only to dog (n = 46) | Allergy only to cat (n = 64) | No allergy to dog or cat (n = 100) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 28.0 [24.0, 34.0] | 29.0 [26.3, 36.5] | 28.5 [24.8, 34.3] | 28.5 [24.8, 34.3] | 28.5 [23.0, 35.8] |
| Female | 187 (78.6) | 26 (92.9) | 31 (67.4) | 51 (79.7) | 79 (79.0) |
| Type of dog allergy | |||||
| Allergic rhinitis | 60 (25.2) | 21 (75.0) | 39 (84.8) | ||
| Allergic conjunctivitis | 54 (22.7) | 18 (64.3) | 36 (78.3) | ||
| Skin allergy | 42 (17.6) | 13 (46.4) | 29 (63.0) | ||
| Cough | 25 (10.5) | 8 (28.6) | 17 (37.0) | ||
| Asthma | 15 (6.3) | 6 (21.4) | 9 (19.6) | ||
| Type of cat allergy | |||||
| Allergic rhinitis | 73 (30.7) | 21 (75.0) | 52 (81.3) | ||
| Allergic conjunctivitis | 71 (29.8) | 10 (67.9) | 52 (81.3) | ||
| Skin allergy | 47 (19.7) | 14 (50.0) | 33 (51.6) | ||
| Cough | 26 (10.9) | 9 (32.1) | 17 (26.6) | ||
| Asthma | 17 (7.1) | 6 (21.4) | 11 (17.2) | ||
| Sensitization to dog proven by | |||||
| Skin prick test | 114 (47.9) | 11 (39.3) | 27 (58.7)a | 33 (51.6) | 43 (43.0) |
| Specific IgE | 198 (83.2) | 26 (92.9)a | 45 (97.8)c | 52 (81.3) | 75 (75.0) |
| Skin prick test or specific IgE | 238 (100.0) | 28 (100.0) | 46 (100.0) | 64 (100.0) | 100 (100.0) |
| Sensitization to cat proven by | |||||
| Skin prick test | 134 (56.3) | 14 (50.0) | 23 (50.0) | 42 (65.6)a | 55 (55.0) |
| Specific IgE | 206 (86.6) | 28 (100.0)b | 37 (80.4) | 63 (98.4)c | 78 (78.0) |
| Skin prick test or specific IgE | 238 (100.0) | 28 (100.0) | 46 (100.0) | 64 (100.0) | 100 (100.0) |
| Serum concentration, kUA/L | |||||
| Specific IgE to dog dander | 0.80 [0.15, 3.43] | 2.49 [1.15, 9.36]c | 3.09 [1.19, 23.3]c | 0.50 [0.13, 2.49] | 0.26 [0.09, 1.31] |
| Specific IgE to cat dander | 1.36 [0.25, 6.49] | 5.00 [0.94, 12.95]c | 0.53 [0.14, 2.28] | 3.81 [0.99, 15.7]c | 0.62 [0.11, 3.90] |
| Specific IgG4 to dog dander | 1.30 [0.60, 2.73] | 1.75 [1.03, 4.63]b | 2.15 [0.98, 4.33]c | 1.35 [0.53, 2.48] | 0.85 [0.50, 2.18] |
| Specific IgG4 to cat dander | 0.40 [0.10, 0.90] | 0.50 [0.30, 1.03]a | 0.30 [0.10, 0.30] | 0.60 [0.20, 1.60]b | 0.30 [0.10, 0.80] |
| Total IgE | 142.9 [65.4, 376.6] | 191.3 [49.6, 521.7] | 216.8 [86.8, 464.4]a | 150.1 [73.1, 373.4] | 125.1 [57.4, 267.5] |
Data are shown as frequency (%) or median [q1, q3]. Dog and cat allergy definition: subjects who experienced symptoms of allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, skin allergy, asthma or cough during contact with dog or cat. Subjects with allergy to dog, cat or both were compared to those without allergy to dog or cat using Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon's rank-sum test for continuous variables.
a
P < 0.05
b
P < 0.01
c
P < 0.001