Shortness of breath secondary to a pet cockatiel

Pet birds and risks of respiratory disease in Australia: a review

“…Ages of cases ranged from nine to 54 years. Ten cases were identified through hospital admissions 23,24,30,31 and medical clinics 25,26 . Cases were determined by reviewing symptoms typical of AA and by taking a detailed history.…”

“…Exposure to feather dander and other avian allergens need not originate from a live bird: one study reported a patient whose bird had died two years prior to illness, but had kept a wreath woven from bird feathers in the living room 25,31 . Exposure to sources such as feather pillows or feathers used in artificial fishing lures have also been linked to the development of AA 30 …”

“…Both adults and children as young as three years of age developed AA 30 . However, AA overall was uncommon in childhood and often confused with more common respiratory conditions such as asthma 25 .…”

“…The most common diagnostic methods for identifying AA were spirometry tests, serum analysis for precipitating antibodies to bird sera, chest X‐rays and history taking. Although a comprehensive patient history was performed in 100% of cases, it should be noted that this was usually undertaken only when other diagnostic tools had failed to identify the illness and when treatments for illnesses such as asthma and pneumonia had failed to curb the progress of the disease 25,26,30 …”