Pet Allergies Cost $1billion in Healthcare Due to Asthma

Providence, RI (PRWEB) October 11, 2010 Asthma costs related to pet ownership in the US has been estimated to be as much as $ 1 Billion according to a study published this month in Allergy & Asthma Proceedings, the scientific journal representing both the American Association of Certified Allergists, as well as the Regional, State and Local Allergy Societies.
Dennis R. Ownby, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, at the Medical College of Georgia and author of the study states in the paper that, "Both household pets and asthma are common in the United States making it highly probable that many persons with asthma live in a home with a pet. Practicing allergists have long known that among those sensitized to animal allergens, exposure to the animal is likely to cause allergic symptoms ranging from mild rhinitis to severe asthma. Even when individuals know that they are allergic to pets, it is common to have a pet in their home. The high costs of asthma care make it is important to ask how much home pet exposure may increase asthma morbidity and related health care costs."
Dr. Ownby concludes that, "There is relatively strong evidence that when individuals with asthma who are allergic to pet allergens live with pets, they require significantly more asthma care. Pet exposure in the home is estimated to result in $ 0.5 to 1 Billion in extra asthma health care costs. Reducing these excess costs would require that all individuals with asthma be evaluated for allergic sensitivity and then convincing those sensitized to a pet to keep the pet outside of their home."
In an accompanying article, Dr Morris Ling and Aidan Long Morris, of Harvard Medical School, acknowledge that adequate allergen avoidance is difficult to achieve because of the physical characteristics of airborne animal allergens and patient noncompliance. They go on to outline the state of the art care of the patient with pet induced asthma, which includes omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody (Genentech, San Fransisco, CA) which can cost $ 3,000 per month.
Key findings of the study :
Approximately 50% of homes have either a cat or dog.
17% of the US population is cat allergic
7.8% of all persons in the United States have experienced asthma in the preceding 12 months.
The 2010 estimated cost of asthma in the US is $ 15.6 billion in direct health care costs.
Sensitivity to a pet and the relatively constant exposure from having a pet in the home substantially

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