Family Dog Might Be Stoking Asthma Symptoms

Columbus Dispatch

9/06/06

Pollution and asthma already are connected, and a new study suggests that adding dogs to the mix might make things even worse for children with breathing problems. Children who live with dogs in smoggy areas coughed significantly more, produced more phlegm and contracted bronchitis more often than those who live in homes without dogs, according to the research. The study was published recently in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives. Study leader Dr. Rob McConnell of USC said it is suspected that dogs bring endotoxins into homes. The study makes sense, said a Columbus respiratory specialist, although he is not ready to label Fido an asthma threat. "There's a lot of evidence endotoxins are important, but if there's a causal link to allergy or asthma, I don't think we're there yet," said Dr. Jonathan Parsons, who works at the Ohio State University Medical Center.

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