Toddlers Who Grow Up With Dogs May Less Likely Develop Crohn's Disease as Adults, Study Shows

Toddlers who grow up with a family dog around the house are less likely to have Crohn's disease when they become adults. A new study has revealed that exposure to the dogs' microbes at an early age provides an unexpected layer of extra protection.

The study published in Digestive Disease Week has yet to get peer-reviewed but the researchers are confident that their findings may find better ways to help high-risk patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The experts noted that toddlers who live with pet dogs are 37 percent less likely to develop Crohn's disease after collecting and studying over 4,000 urine, blood and stool samples among the children and their immediate family members for five years and six months. The participants of the study were from the Crohn's and Colitis Canada Genetic, Environmental, and Microbial project from the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital in Canada.

The researchers hypothesized that the percentage is likely higher because the children's immunity may have been boosted by the microbes. They also did comparisons of the gut microbes of Crohn's disease patients with and without dogs in the house by doing a genetic sequencing.

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Cat or Bird Microbes Made No Difference

On the other hand, the researchers also found out that children who grow up with cats or birds do not have such a high percentage of protection from Crohn's disease. According to Dr. Williams Turpin, it may be because dogs get to spend more outdoor time and park walks with their owners. There have been previous researchers that show green spaces may also curb the development of Crohn's disease.

The sample comparisons also showed that children in large families, or who live with more than three family members in their young life, have better microbiome composition as they reach adulthood. Dr. Brigid Boland, who was not part of the research, told WebMD that this was a well-crafted study that took samples from a good and interesting group of Crohn's disease at-risk patients.

However, both Boland and the researchers said that the study can still improve on more studies to replicate and validate the earlier findings. It might help learn about the disease better if the next study will also entail people who have never had dogs and then decided to get one. The researchers said they would like to know how these people's microbiome composition would change over time.

What is Crohn's Disease?

Per the Mayo Clinic, Crohn's disease impacts the digestive system and leads to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can be debilitating and life-threatening. There is still no cure for this disease but there are therapies to help adults manage the condition.

Crohn's disease develops because it can be hereditary but people with the weaker immune system are also at risk because their bodies are not strong enough to fight microorganisms that may invade and attack their digestive tract.

Most people develop the condition in their 30s but they can also trigger the disease earlier if they are smokers. Some of the symptoms of Crohn's disease include frequent diarrhea, fatigue, pain and cramping in the abdomen, mouth in the stool, mouth sores, loss of appetite, weight loss and pain in the fistula (around the anus). Other indications may also include anemia, inflammation of the eyes, skin and joints, as well as kidney stones.

An estimated 1.3 percent of the U.S. adult population has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

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