People often think they’ve an allergy house dust. But with 20% of Australians Allergy victims, a lot of them are actually allergic to microscopic house dust mites.
House dust mites belong to the identical family as spiders and ticks. They measure only 0.2-0.3 mm, and there are 50 pieces on one pin head. They live for 65–100 days, and females lay 60–100 eggs during their lives.
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House dust mites love moderate climates and humidity. They feed on skin cells that we and animals shed, in addition to mold, which they digest using special enzymes. These enzymes are excreted within the feces 20 times a day. They also shed pieces of their exoskeletons.
All of those fragments trigger allergies in people affected by the sort of allergic rhinitis (also often known as hay fever).
What are the symptoms?
When people allergic to house dust mites inhale the allergens, they penetrate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. Their body recognizes allergens as a threat, releasing chemicals, including one called histamine.
This causes symptoms corresponding to a runny nose, itchy nose, eyes and throat, sneezing, coughing and a sense of mucus at the back of the throat (so-called postnasal drip).
People with the sort of allergy normally breathe through their mouths, snore, rub their nose continually (making a nasal wrinkle called the “mite greeting”), and have dark circles under their eyes.
Allergy to house dust mites can even cause poor sleep, constant fatigue, decreased concentration at work or school and lower quality of life.
For people affected by eczema, a damaged skin barrier can allow house dust mite proteins to enter the skin. This stimulates the skin’s immune cells release chemicals which make already dilated skin redder, more painful and itchy, especially in children.
Symptoms of allergy to house dust mites occur all 12 months round and often worsen after going to bed and waking up within the morning. However, people affected by allergies to house dust mites and pollen find that their year-round symptoms worsen in spring.
How is it diagnosed?
Dust mite allergy symptoms often worsen for months and even years before people seek help. However, accurate diagnosis not only means access to appropriate treatment, it’s also essential to minimize exposure.
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Doctors and nurses can order: blood test to check for allergies to house dust mites.
Alternatively, healthcare providers with specialized allergy training can perform skin tests. This involves placing drops of allergens in your arm together with positive and negative “controls”. After quarter-hour, individuals who test positive can have a mark that appears like a mosquito bite.
How is it treated?
Treatment options include one or a mix of:
- every day non-sedating antihistamines
- steroid nasal spray
- allergy eye drops.
Your health care skilled will work with you to develop it rhinitis (hay fever) treatment plan. to reduce symptoms. If you employ a nasal spray, your doctor will do this show you how to use itbecause people often use it incorrectly.
If you have got too asthma or eczema aggravated by mites, your doctor will adjust your treatment asthma motion plan Or eczema care plan appropriately.
If severe symptoms occur, there may be a long-term option immunotherapy. This is meant to regularly disable the immune system’s ability to recognize house dust mites as a harmful allergen.
Immunotherapy involves taking a every day sublingual tablet under the tongue or a series of injections. Injections require monthly visits for 3 years, after an initial weekly preparation phase.
They are effective, but expensive (and time-consuming). Therefore, it is necessary to weigh the potential advantages and drawbacks together with your doctor.
How to minimize the danger of house dust mites?
There are also vital allergy minimization measures you’ll be able to take to reduce the quantity of allergens in your property.
Every week wash bedding and pajamas in hot water (over 60°C). This deletes House dust mite eggs and stays.
Choose blankets, covers or duvets that will be washed in hot water at a temperature above 60°C. Alternatively, inexpensive waterproof or airtight covers can protect against dust mites.
If you’ll be able to, favor blinds and picket floors over curtains and carpets. Dust blinds and surfaces weekly with a moist cloth and dust with a mask or have another person do it, as dust mites can turn into airborne during cleansing.
However, beware of pricy products with large marketing budgets and little evidence to support their use. For example, a brand new mattress will all the time be free from house dust mites. But as you proceed to sleep, the dust mite life cycle may begin.
Mattress protectors and toppers are commonly described as “hypoallergenic”, “anti-allergic” or “allergy-free”. However, their pore size just isn’t sufficiently small to prevent dust mites and their excrement from entering or exfoliating the skin.
Sprays that are intended to kill dust mites require simply enough spray to penetrate the product, which is probably going to get wet, may smell like a twig, and, if not dried properly, may develop mold.
Finally, the claim that expensive vacuum cleaners can remove all house dust mites is unfounded.