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American Morning
House Call: Cats, Dogs, Cockroaches, Dust Mites Trigger Asthma
Aired May 22, 2003 - 07:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is an interesting study just out putting cats and dogs and cockroaches to the test to see how people with asthma reacted to them.
A "House Call" this morning, medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us here in New York. Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: What gives here?
GUPTA: Well, I'll tell you, this is interesting, because you hear a lot about cats and dogs and possible allergies and asthma. Allergies and asthma sort of go hand-in-hand for a lot of people, about 70 percent of people who have asthma also have significant allergies.
But here is the thing. Most people know that cats actually, more people are allergic to cats than dogs, and that panned out to be true in the study. About 72 percent of the people who had allergies were allergic to cats. Only about 38 percent were allergic to dogs.
Well, what surprised the researchers was that if you were actually having an allergic reaction to a dog, it was likely to be a more profound reaction, a more severe reaction, a reaction more likely to lead to asthma. And that sort of surprised people that dogs would actually have such a profound allergic reaction.
Tips basically to try and cut down on these allergies and asthmatic attacks for people who are allergic to pets, here they are. People already know these. Keep pets out of the bedroom. So many people let...
HEMMER: Fat chance on that.
GUPTA: So many people let their pets not only in the bedroom, but also in their bed. That's a problem. Keep pets outside, bathe the pets once a week, wash the sheets as well if you're letting the pet into your room, into your bedroom. Avoid places with furs or feathers. And take asthma medications. There is good asthma medication, there is good allergy medication to try and cut down on the symptoms. If you have allergies, which are particularly bad this time of year, there are some good medications to try and get it under control.
HEMMER: You know, about a month ago, you were here on a "House Call," right? GUPTA: Yes.
HEMMER: Remember, you told us having a pet at home was actually good in case you had allergies?
GUPTA: All right, here is the thing.
HEMMER: What's the deal?
GUPTA: Yes, well, this is an important point. But what that was really looking at was looking at children. As you had a dog when you were growing up, Bill Hemmer, a lot of people who actually grow up with pets in the home may actually cut down on how severe their allergies may be later in life. At least that was the result of one study about a month ago. You're absolutely right.
But there are lots of studies on this particular topic. Allergies and asthma being such an important topic and people have gone back and forth on the role of pets here. But bottom line is that pets can cause significant allergies and possibly asthmatic attacks.
HEMMER: And you say keep the dog outside. That was a tough thing to do at the Hemmer house, let me tell you.
GUPTA: I'm sure it was.
HEMMER: Thank you, Sanjay. See you next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Asthma>
Aired May 22, 2003 - 07:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is an interesting study just out putting cats and dogs and cockroaches to the test to see how people with asthma reacted to them.
A "House Call" this morning, medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us here in New York. Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: What gives here?
GUPTA: Well, I'll tell you, this is interesting, because you hear a lot about cats and dogs and possible allergies and asthma. Allergies and asthma sort of go hand-in-hand for a lot of people, about 70 percent of people who have asthma also have significant allergies.
But here is the thing. Most people know that cats actually, more people are allergic to cats than dogs, and that panned out to be true in the study. About 72 percent of the people who had allergies were allergic to cats. Only about 38 percent were allergic to dogs.
Well, what surprised the researchers was that if you were actually having an allergic reaction to a dog, it was likely to be a more profound reaction, a more severe reaction, a reaction more likely to lead to asthma. And that sort of surprised people that dogs would actually have such a profound allergic reaction.
Tips basically to try and cut down on these allergies and asthmatic attacks for people who are allergic to pets, here they are. People already know these. Keep pets out of the bedroom. So many people let...
HEMMER: Fat chance on that.
GUPTA: So many people let their pets not only in the bedroom, but also in their bed. That's a problem. Keep pets outside, bathe the pets once a week, wash the sheets as well if you're letting the pet into your room, into your bedroom. Avoid places with furs or feathers. And take asthma medications. There is good asthma medication, there is good allergy medication to try and cut down on the symptoms. If you have allergies, which are particularly bad this time of year, there are some good medications to try and get it under control.
HEMMER: You know, about a month ago, you were here on a "House Call," right? GUPTA: Yes.
HEMMER: Remember, you told us having a pet at home was actually good in case you had allergies?
GUPTA: All right, here is the thing.
HEMMER: What's the deal?
GUPTA: Yes, well, this is an important point. But what that was really looking at was looking at children. As you had a dog when you were growing up, Bill Hemmer, a lot of people who actually grow up with pets in the home may actually cut down on how severe their allergies may be later in life. At least that was the result of one study about a month ago. You're absolutely right.
But there are lots of studies on this particular topic. Allergies and asthma being such an important topic and people have gone back and forth on the role of pets here. But bottom line is that pets can cause significant allergies and possibly asthmatic attacks.
HEMMER: And you say keep the dog outside. That was a tough thing to do at the Hemmer house, let me tell you.
GUPTA: I'm sure it was.
HEMMER: Thank you, Sanjay. See you next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Asthma>
