House Dust Mite Allergy
House Dust Mite Allergy
What are dust mites?
- House Dust mites are microscopic creatures which cannot be visualized by the naked eye.
- They live in all our homes and feed on dead skin cells.
- They are most commonly found n warm, damp areas where dusts containing dead skin cells gather e.g. pillows, mattresses, soft toys, carpets and soft furnishings.
- The mites are harmless to most people however they can cause allergic symptoms in some.
Signs/Symptoms :
- Symptoms are caused by breathing in substances known as allergens which are found in the mites droppings.
- Droppings are tiny therefore become airborne and can be breathed in.
- when these allergens touch the skin or are breathed in, the immune system reacts abnormally by causing the body to release a chemical called histamine.
- This can lead to rhinitis which involves swelling and irritation in nose, eyes, throat and lungs.
- People with house dust mite allergy are likely to have some or all of the following symptoms;
-
- Loss of sense of smell
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Itching(eyes, nose and throat)
- Wheezing
Management of house dust mite in the home:
It is not possible to eradicate house dust mite from your home but you can make them very unwelcome therefore reducing symptoms through implementation of the following guidelines;
- Replace feather and down pillows with synthetic pillows.
- Buy hypoallergenic duvets, pillows and mattresses or hypoallergenic covers for these.
- Wash fabrics i.e. bed linen at a minimum of 60 degrees centigrade as kills house dust mites.
- Dust rooms thoroughly with a damp cloth as dry cloths let dust back into the air.
- Reduce number of items on which dust can build up e.g. ornaments, books, toys.
- Open windows regularly throughout the home in particular in kitchen and bathrooms during and after cooking, washing or bathing to reduce dampness.
- Where possible replace carpets with hard flooring.
- Keep soft toys to a minimum- wash regularly or freeze for 12 hours to kill dust mites.
- Use a high efficiency filtered vacuum cleaner without bags to vacuum soft furnishing and mattresses regularly.
