Animal hair allergy

In brief: Humans can react sensitively to any animal, usually with fur or feathers, and develop allergies. The most frequent triggers of animal hair allergies are cats and dogs. Other animal species include guinea pigs, golden hamsters, rabbits, mice, rats, horses, cattle and birds. Most reactions occur only minutes after contact with the animal. …

Symptoms: The symptoms usually come on suddenly. Within minutes after contact with the allergens, the affected individuals begin to sneeze or rub their reddened eyes. They can have an itchy, runny nose. Cough attacks, shortness of breath and reddening of the skin are also possible.

Prevalence: It is estimated that 13 million cats and 8 million dogs are kept in Germany. The number of people affected by animal hair allergies is increasing. Animal allergens are the third most frequent cause of respiratory allergies after pollen and house dust mites.

Risk factors:  A decisive factor for developing sensitization (and later perhaps allergy) is at least in cats their occurrence in the residential community. Data from Swedish schools show that the amount of cat allergens in the classroom increases directly with the number of children having a cat at home. ...more

Diagnosis:  Even if you don't keep an animal, you can get an animal hair allergy. It is often not so easy to determine which animal triggers the symptoms. Skin tests, blood tests and sometimes also a provocation test can bring clarity. But a detailed doctor-patient talk is also important. ...more

Therapy: Often, families in which someone suffers from an animal hair allergy are forced to give the pet away to eliminate the cause of the allergy. In individual cases, for example with veterinarians or animal keepers, specific immunotherapy (SIT, hyposensitization) with animal allergens can be considered ...more

Prevention:  Avoiding the allergen would be a top priority - but many animal hair allergens also occur frequently in public spaces, for example in buses. There are no completely allergen-free animal breeds, even if they are advertised for from time to time. All animals produce proteins that can potentially lead to allergic reactions. ...more

Research approaches: Does early childhood contact with animals lead to increased susceptibility or does it even protect against animal hair allergy? This is just one of many questions that research is asking itself. ...more