3. Are there any hypoallergenic cats that people with allergies can get?
The myth about hypoallergenic cats (and animals in general) has existed for a very long time. An allergy to cats is not related to the presence of fur and does not depend on the breed, age of the pet, gender or habitat (indoor or outdoor).
Now there will be “shock content”: the most allergenic cat is the Sphynx.
The main cat allergen is called uteroglobin Fel d 1, it is produced in various glands (salivary, sebaceous, lacrimal, anal) and spreads through the fur during licking, as well as through sweat and urine. Some studies have found that the concentration of Fel d 1 is higher in males compared to male cats, but decreases in cats after castration.
4. Can allergies go away with age?
Yes maybe. If we are talking about food allergies, then, according to statistics, half of children have an allergy to milk by the age of 7-8 years, 50% also have no reaction to eggs by 2-9 years, and the same percentage of children develop tolerance to wheat by 7 years old.
Also, food allergies can begin in childhood and remain for life; more often it is an allergy to nuts, fish/seafood, and sesame. Allergies to seafood, nuts, soy and peanuts can begin in adulthood. There is a possibility that every fifth person with an allergy may spontaneously develop tolerance to an allergenic product.
The later a child encounters a potential allergen, the higher the likelihood of developing an allergy to this product, so it is recommended to introduce complementary foods and allergens, starting in small doses from the age of 4–6 months.
This period is called the “window of opportunity.” And what’s important: it’s not just giving the allergen once, for example, peanuts in the form of a paste, but then regularly adding it to dishes.
If you develop allergy symptoms after consuming any product immediately or within 2 hours, you should avoid that product. Meeting him again could be fatal.
It is necessary to consult a doctor to identify the culprit allergen and prescribe a step-by-step algorithm for action in case of a possible recurrence of the episode.
There are studies on oral immunotherapy with food allergens (peanuts, hazelnuts), which have shown its high effectiveness and led to the development of tolerance in both adults and children.
Oral immunotherapy is the daily administration of an allergen in a certain dosage, followed by assessment of the response. This procedure is performed exclusively in a hospital setting. Unfortunately, to date there is no reliable evidence for the routine use of these protocols.