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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2001;285:1952.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Parents who worry that their household cat might trigger asthma in their children shouldn't be too quick to get rid of the pet, according to a study funded in part by the NIAID. The study, which appears in the March 10 issue of Lancet, shows that high levels of cat allergen in the home can decrease the risk of asthma, apparently by altering the immune response to cats.

For many allergens, such as dust mites, the higher the level of exposure, the greater the likelihood of a person producing "allergic" antibodies (IgE antibodies). High allergen levels also increase a person's risk of becoming allergic and developing asthma.

However, Thomas A. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, have shown that exposure to cats is different. The researchers measured levels of antibodies to cat allergen in 226 children, aged 12 to 14 . . . [Full Text of this Article]