Animal Allergy in Korean Pet Owners, Pet-related Industry Workers, and Laboratory Animal Reseachers

The Prevalence of Animal Allergy and Sensitization to Animal Allergen Among Participants in International Symposium of Korean Association for Laboratory Science and Companion Animal Exhibition

The investigators surveyed the prevalence of animal allergy and sensitization to animal allergen among participants in international symposium of Korean association for laboratory science (laboratory animal researchers) and companion animal exhibition (pet owner and pet-related industry workers).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Asthma; Allergic Rhinitis; Allergic Conjunctivitis; Urticaria
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Animal allergy; Other: Non-animal allergy

Detailed Description

The investigators enrolled participants in international symposium of Korean association for laboratory science (laboratory animal researchers) and pet animal exhibition (pet owner and pet-related industry workers) after informed consents. Subjects were asked to response to questionnaires regarding their age, gender, comorbid allergic disease, family history of allergy, pet or laboratory animal, exposure time, allergic symptoms during exposure to animals. Subjects underwent skin prick test with animal allergens and other inhalant allergens.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 643

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Korea, Republic of
  • Incheon, Korea, Republic of, 405-760
    • Gachon University Gil Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants in international symposium of Korean association for laboratory science and companion animal exhibition

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants in international symposium of Korean association for laboratory science and companion animal exhibition from whom informed consents were obtained.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects who reject enrollment into this study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

6

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Allergic LAR; Laboratory animal researchers who experienced allergic symptom during exposure to laboratory or pet animals	Other: Animal allergy; Allergic symptom occurs during exposure to laboratory or pet animal
Non-allergic LAR; Laboratory animal researchers who did not experience allergic symptom during exposure to laboratory or pet animals	Other: Non-animal allergy; Allergic symptom does not occur during exposure to laboratory or pet animal
Allergic PO; Pet owners who experienced allergic symptom during exposure to pet animals	Other: Animal allergy; Allergic symptom occurs during exposure to laboratory or pet animal
Non-allergic PO; Pet owners who did not experience allergic symptom during exposure to pet animals	Other: Non-animal allergy; Allergic symptom does not occur during exposure to laboratory or pet animal
Allergic PIW; Allergic pet-related industry workers who experienced allergic symptom during exposure to pet animals	Other: Animal allergy; Allergic symptom occurs during exposure to laboratory or pet animal
Non-allergic PIW; Allergic pet-related industry workers who did not experience allergic symptom during exposure to pet animals	Other: Non-animal allergy; Allergic symptom does not occur during exposure to laboratory or pet animal

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Skin reactivity to animal allergens	Positivity to animal allergens in skin prick test	The day of survey

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Skin reactivity to other inhalant allergens	Positivity to other inhalant allergens in skin prick test	The day of survey
The prevalance of cormobid allergy	The prevalance of allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, food allergy, drug allergy	The day of survey
Duration of animal exposure	Duration of laboratory or pet animal exposure (months)	The day of survey
Animal contact time	Animal contact time including direct contact and spatial sharing (min/day)	The day of survey
Residence of animal	Residence of animal (cage, bedroom, not bedroom but at home, outside)	The day of survey
Site of animal defecation	Site of animal defecation (outside, predetermined place at home, anywhere at home)	The day of survey
Laboratory or pet animal	Laboratory or pet animal which subject contacts	The day of survey
Severity of allergic symptom	Severity of allergic symptom (using visual analog scale) during exposure to animal	The day of survey
Duration of allergic symptom	Duration of allergic symptom during exposure to animal (min)	The day of survey
Frequency of house cleaning, bed cleansing, animal haircut, and animal hair removal from their garmet	Frequency of house cleaning, bed cleansing, animal haircut, and animal hair removal from their garmet in pet owners and pet-related industry workers	The day of survey
Use of medical service	Use of medical service including prescription and immunotherapy for animal allergy	The day of survey
Perception of animal allergy, its avoidance and immunotherapy	Agreement score (visual analog scale) to "Allergic symptom occurs during exposure to animal", "Avoidance can reduce or prevent from allergic symptom", "Immunotherapy can mitigate allergic symptom during exposure to animal"	The day of survey

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Gachon University Gil Medical Center
• Investigators: Study Chair: Sang Pyo Lee, MD, Gachon University Gil Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Park YB, Mo EK, Lee JY, Kim JH, Kim CH, Hyun IG, Choi JH. Association between pet ownership and the sensitization to pet allergens in adults with various allergic diseases. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2013 Sep;5(5):295-300. doi: 10.4168/aair.2013.5.5.295. Epub 2013 Jun 25.
• Moghtaderi M, Farjadian S, Abbaszadeh Hasiri M. Animal allergen sensitization in veterinarians and laboratory animal workers. Occup Med (Lond). 2014 Oct;64(7):516-20. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqu097. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
• Krakowiak A, Wiszniewska M, Krawczyk P, Szulc B, Wittczak T, Walusiak J, Palczynski C. Risk factors associated with airway allergic diseases from exposure to laboratory animal allergens among veterinarians. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2007 May;80(6):465-75. doi: 10.1007/s00420-006-0153-0. Epub 2006 Oct 5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 24, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 27, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): November 27, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 29, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 30, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): April 5, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 3, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: allergy; allergen; pet
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Eye Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Skin Diseases, Vascular; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Nose Diseases; Conjunctival Diseases; Hypersensitivity; Rhinitis; Rhinitis, Allergic; Conjunctivitis; Conjunctivitis, Allergic; Urticaria
• Other Study ID Numbers: GBIRB2016-155

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No