Dust mite allergic reactions are immune responses to tiny bugs called allergen. These bugs live in households and cause responses like sneezing, itching, blockage, and wheezing.
What Is a Dust Mite Allergy?
Allergy medications can help avoid symptoms, but those with more severe allergic reactions might need allergy shots.
Getting treatments from a specialist and keeping your home dust-free can help relieve dust mite allergies.
Allergen are exceptionally small bugs that belong to the spider family. They reside in house dust and eat the dead skin cells that people frequently shed. Dust mites can survive in all environments and at a lot of elevations. They grow in warm environments, choosing those at 70 ° F( 21 ° C) and 70 percent relative humidity.
When you take in the waste products of allergen, your body immune system kicks into high gear, producing antibodies versus the typically harmless substances. This overzealous immune reaction causes the symptoms connected with an allergen allergic reaction, such as sneezing and runny nose.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), this type of allergic reaction impacts about 20 million individuals in the United States. Aside from allergic reaction symptoms, long-term exposure to dust mite irritants may result in sinus infections and asthma.
Causes of Dust Mite Allergy
An allergy is the body immune system’s response to an unknown substance that’s not normally hazardous to your body. These substances are called allergens. They may include certain foods, pollens, and dust mites. Individuals who are allergic to allergen have bad responses to the remnants of the bugs. These remnants include small mounds of feces and rotting bodies.
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You may have a relatively clean family, however it doesn’t take much to develop an environment fit for allergen. In reality, the average bed room is often the perfect place for them. Bedding, carpets, and furniture cushions all trap and hold wetness, allowing these small bugs to flourish. In time, you might experience increased allergic reaction symptoms as you continue to inhale the dust mites’ waste particles.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that dust can be a sneeze-inducing annoyance for anyone, but only specific individuals have the immune responses that really make up a dust mite allergic reaction.
Symptoms of a Dust Mite Allergy
Dust mite allergic reaction symptoms can vary from mild to severe. They may include the following:
- runny or itchy nose
- postnasal drip
- itchy skin
- blockage
- sinus pressure (might cause facial pain)
- itchy, watery, or red eyes
- scratchy throat
- cough
- swollen, bluish-colored skin underneath the eyes
- difficulty sleeping.
You might experience added symptoms if you have asthma and dislike allergen. These symptoms might include:
- chest pain or tightness
- trouble breathing
- wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath
- difficulty talking
- severe asthma attack.
Risk factors
The following aspects increase your risk of developing an allergen allergic reaction:
- Having a family history of allergies. You’re more likely to establish a sensitivity to dust mites if allergies are more common in your family.
- Direct exposure to allergen. Being exposed to high levels of dust mites, specifically early in life, increases your risk.
- Being a child or a young adult. You’re more likely to establish dust mite allergic reaction during youth or early the adult years.
Detecting Dust Mite Allergies
You should see a specialist if you discover your symptoms are even worse at home, especially when cleaning up or when you go to sleep. An allergist is somebody who detects and treats allergies, and this individual can diagnose a dust mite allergy.
Your specialist will use diagnostic tests to identify whether you have a dust mite allergy. The most common type is a skin-prick test. During this test, the specialist will puncture an area of your skin with a small extract of the irritant. Your allergist will then wait about 15 minutes to see if your skin has any unfavorable responses. If you do have a response, you will likely develop a big bump around the punctured area of skin. The area may also end up being red and itchy.
A blood test is often used instead of a skin test. Note that a blood test can only evaluate for antibodies, so the results might not be as accurate.
Treating a Dust Mite Allergy
The best treatment alternative is to restrict your exposure to allergen. If that doesn’t work, there are a number of over the counter and prescription medications that can help alleviate the symptoms of a dust mite allergic reaction:
- antihistamines (such Allegra or Claritin) to assist ease sneezing, a runny nose, and itching
- nasal corticosteroids (such as Flonase or Nasonex) to reduce inflammation while providing fewer side effects than their oral equivalents
- decongestants (such as Sudafed or Afrin) to shrink tissues in nasal passages, making it simpler to breathe
- medications that integrate an antihistamine and decongestant (such as Actifed or Claritin-D).
Other treatments that may supply relief include:
- cromolyn sodium
- leukotriene modifiers (for example, Singulair, Accolate)
- immunotherapy (allergy shots).
Washing your nasal passages with warm salt water, called nasal lavage, daily is another reliable method to clear irritants from the sinuses. You can do this with either a squeeze bottle or neti pot.
Dust Mite Allergy Prevention
Bed linen is the ideal breeding ground for allergen. It’s usually the best temperature and humidity for them, and the people huddled at night supply an unrestricted food supply.
Fortunately, it’s not a losing battle for those with dust mite allergies. You can take the following actions to assist ensure your bed remains dust-mite complimentary:
- Use allergen-proof bedspread on the bed mattress, box spring, and pillows. Zippered covers are best. Their securely woven fabric avoids allergen from getting into beds.
- Wash all bedding– consisting of sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and bed covers– in hot water a minimum of once a week. Dry in a hot clothes dryer or in natural sunlight during summer months.
There are more methods to handle dust mites. Unlike with outdoors allergens such as pollen, you can keep dust mites under control with a few essential actions:
- Use an a/c or dehumidifier to keep the relative humidity in between 30 and 50 percent.
- Purchase a high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter.
- Buy only washable stuffed toys, and wash them frequently. Keep stuffed toys off beds.
- Dust frequently with either a damp (or oiled) towel or mop. This helps reduce the quantity of dust and prevents it from collecting.
- Vacuum regularly using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. A person with a severe allergen allergic reaction need to have somebody else do this task.
- Eliminate mess where dust collects.
- Tidy curtains and upholstered furnishings frequently.
- Change carpeting with wood, tile, linoleum, or vinyl flooring, if possible.
Health Tips
If you’re allergic to dust mites, continued direct exposure to allergen can certainly be uncomfortable. Aside from allergies, frequent exposure to indoor allergens can also increase the risk for developing asthma. This is specifically true in children.
While allergen allergies take some work to manage, fortunately is that they are controllable. Deal with your specialist to determine best practices and treatment procedures so that you can manage your symptoms.
