Man's Best Friend?  Not During Hay Fever Season.

A recent study suggests that pet allergies can worsen the impact of ragweed allergy.  Those with dog, cat or even dust mite allergies are found to have a more severe ragweed allergy season.  These year-round allergies appear to "pre-prime" the immune system so symptoms hit harder, according to research published in the August issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of ACAAI.

"People with hay fever react differently when ragweed allergy season arrives.  Some start sneezing right away, and others don't, so we wanted to determine what makes certain people develop symptoms more quickly," said allergist Anne K. Ellis, MD, lead author of the study and ACAAI member.  "We tested a number of common perrinial allergens and found that having an allergy to cats, dogs or dust mites sets hay fever sufferers up for faster onset of symptoms when exposed to ragweed."
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