How Do I Deal With Allergy Due To House Dust Mites

House mite allergy is a type 1 allergy wherein the immune system abnormally reacts to the prevailing protein substances in the excretion of mites lying in the home dust. These proteins cause inflammation in the respiratory passages, which results in hay fever and asthma. House dust mites are minute organisms that dwell in warm and damp homes whose food is the human skin. These mites often stay in beds. This is the main reason as to why we become allergic to these mites, as even we spend one-third of our daily time on bed. As a result, we inhale enough amounts of dust mite allergens, especially when the excretion becomes dry and mixes with the air.

There are multiple proteins in the excretion of the house dust mites, which when inhaled or exposed to the skin, the immune system reacts to it by generating antibodies. Due to these antibodies, a chemical called histamine is released excessively, due to which swelling and irritation occurs in the upper respiratory passages, which is nothing but the typical asthma and hay fever symptoms.

The house dust mites prevail throughout the year that can even lead to permanent allergy called ‘perennial’ allergic rhinitis.

Dust Mite Allergy Symptoms

Listed below are the symptoms of the dust mite allergy.

• Hay fever
• Running nose
• Itching in the nose
• Sneezing
• Watery eyes
• Asthma
• Infantile eczema (a skin disease at its worst)

Air pollution can worsen these symptoms.

Further Complications

Below are a few more complications that can occur following the allergy.

• Chances of other respiratory diseases
• Otitis, wherein the ear is inflamed
• Sleeping difficulties
• Chronic fatigue
• Asthma attack

Dust Mite Allergy Diagnosis

The doctor will ask you as to when the allergy started, where it took place, and how intense were the symptoms. Consequently, the doctor will perform a few relevant skin tests and blood tests to confirm the allergy and to detect the allergen.

Treatment from Your Side

The best effort from your side is to keep the house free from dust as much as possible. Listed below are some ways to ensure this.

• Try to have less furniture where there is a possibility of living mites.
• Keep the walls, woodwork, floors clean using a wet cloth.
• Use rugs that are washable and wash them once in a week.
• Use bed sheets, blankets, and pillow covers that are washable or are of cotton. Avoid woolen blankets.
• Ensure that the chairs are of either wood or plastic.
• Use curtains that are made up of plastic and dust them daily.
• Use wet cloths to dust the home daily.
• Alternatively, use a vacuum cleaner with allergen filter daily or twice a week if daily is not possible.
• Avoid dusty things such as artificial flowers, teddy bears, cushions, and toys.
• Wash things used on the bed such as sheets and pillow covers at 60°C at least to eradicate the house dust mites.
• Put things used on the bed such as duvets, pillows, and mattress outside the home under the sunlight for an hour daily or as frequently as possible.
• Keep the atmosphere at home dry and cool, as dust mites do not live in this condition.
• Avoid using the air humidifier.
• Avoid any kind of liquid spraying in the house, as it worsens your symptoms.
• Avoid being in touched with dust traps such as old clothes and old things kept in the storeroom.
• Wear a mask while cleaning the house.
• Avoid smoking strictly at home.

Medicines

Listed below are the medicines used to treat house dust mites allergy.

• Antihistamine Tablets or Syrup
  These minimize the reaction by preventing the negative impact of histamine and are quite effective for hay fever. Examples of such antihistamines are loratadine and cetirizine.
• Nasal Sprays or Drops
  These are effective in providing relief from nasal symptoms and inflammation. In these medicines, there is a presence of sodium cromoglicate, corticosteroids (beclometasone), or antihistamines (levocabastine).
• Eye Drops
  These are effective in providing relief from eye symptoms. In these medicines, there is a presence of sodium cromoglicate, nedocromil, or antihistamines (azelastine).

The following medicines are used to deal with the asthma, which is one of the symptoms of house dust mites allergy.

• Relievers (Bronchodilators)
  As the name suggest, they provide relief from breathing difficulty, as they quickly act in the body to calm down the airways’ muscles.
• Preventers
  These take time in acting as compared to relievers and aims at minimizing the airways’ inflammation. To take complete advantage, these medicines should be used on a regular basis. These medicines have the potential to prevent the need of the relievers only when the correct preventer along with the accurate dose is given to the patient.

In most cases, an inhaled corticosteroid taken at regular intervals is preferred fro the allergic asthma. Along with this, a beta-2 agonist is used to improve the asthma symptoms.

Relievers

In this category of asthma treaters, there are three more groups.

Beta-2 Agonists

These include short-term and long-term medicines that result in widening and calming down of the airways. Short-term agonists start working immediately after the intake for 3 to 4 hours. Examples of such agonists include salbutamol and terbutaline, which can be inhaled from various sources such as the Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI).

Long-term agonists work until 12 hours after the intake that indicates two doses daily. Examples of such agonists include salmeterol and formoterol.

Anticholinergics

Anticholinergic medicines such as ipratropium widen the airways by controlling the nerve impulses that causes the muscles around the airways to contract. The nerves are connected to these muscles that have an impact on the size of the airways.

Theophyllines and Aminophylline

These are oral medicines with side effects. Therefore, they are less preferred in the United Kingdom, but widely used in other parts of the globe.

Preventers

In this category of asthma treaters, there are three more groups of anti-inflammatories.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids, simply known as steroids, help in minimizing the inflammation in the airways, which in turn, prevents contraction. These steroids are mostly inhaled (beclometasone), but can also be given orally as tablets in case of severe cases.

Although steroids are really effective, but also carry serious side effects.

Cromones

These preventers also work by minimizing the inflammation in the airways and are ideal for mild asthma. Sodium cromoglicate and nedocromil are the two types of cromones, which are commonly in use.

Their mode of intake is inhalation and are quite useful for children as compared to adults.

Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists

Montelukast and zafirlukast are the two commonly used receptor antagonists that work by reversing the narrowing effect of the airways.

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