DOGS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FEWER HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSES, BUT CATS ARE NOT

Objective: Previous studies on pet ownership and the risk of arterial hypertension have provided conflicting results. Most of these previous studies were not prospective, exhibited relevant selection bias, and were unable to differentiate between different pets or control for relevant contributing factors such as physical activity. Design and method: We report findings from the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort study (SWICOS), a prospective population-based study. Socio-demographic factors, pet ownership, physical activity, depression, and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed. Hypertension diagnosis was defined as known hypertension according to medical records and/or a prescription for antihypertensive drugs. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations of potential influential factors and a diagnosis of hypertension. Results: Among 474 participants of the SWICOS cohort, 96 participants (20%) had a diagnosis of hypertension. Prevalence of hypertension was 12% among dog owners, significantly lower than the 26% among non-owners (p=0.002), whereas in cat owners prevalence was similar (39% vs. 45%, p=0.30). In the multivariate logistic model controlled for factors that showed significant associations with hypertension in univariate analysis (i.e., age, sex, body mass index, education, physical activity, and depression), dog ownership remained independently associated with fewer diagnoses of hypertension (OR 0.44, 95%CI 0.21-0.94, p=0.034), whereas walking time per week (p=0.61) or depression (p=0.18) were not. Conclusions: In this prospective population-based cohort, dog ownership was independently associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension, whereas cat ownership was not. The factors contributing to lower hypertension prevalence in dog owners are unclear, but presumably are not related to higher physical activity or to a better emotional stability.