CATS AND DOGS AS CAUSES OF PERENNIAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS
Cats
The exact incidence of cat allergy has not been established, but in my own practice it is one of the five most common allergens. Allergies to birds, gerbils, hamsters, and rabbits occur, although much less frequently than allergy to cat. Their exact incidence is likewise not clearly established.
If you are a cat-allergic person, you are well aware of the sneezing, nasal congestion, and runny nose that can occur within a few minutes of entering a home inhabited by a house cat. The substance responsible for these symptoms is a protein allergists refer to as Fel d I (this protein is the 1st allergen derived from Felines). Derived primarily from cat salivary glands and sebaceous (oil) glands of hair roots, Fel d I is primarily distributed by cat saliva and dander (material common to the superficial skin). Cat urine and feces contribute little to Fel d I’s load in homes.
Easily airborne, Fel d I appears to remain so for hours, even in an undisturbed house (a house with no one in it). Walking on carpet or sitting on furniture containing this protein causes significant amounts of it to be released into the air. A protein of relatively low molecular weight, it can easily lodge in the nose and eyes or evade nasal entrapment and find its way into the lungs, thus wreaking misery upon cat-allergic family members or guests. It will take months for the cat allergen to abate from your home even after the cat itself has been banished to the outdoors.
Dogs
Like cats, dogs are common causes of perennial allergic rhinitis. The exact nature of the dog’s allergenic proteins responsible for symptoms has not been delineated to the degree that that of cats and house mites has been. We do know that the allergens are proteins and that they are found primarily in the dog’s shed skin and saliva. They also are found in dog hair, blood serum, urine, and feces, but these are not the sources of our primary exposure.
*19/322/5*
