Allergies are one of the annoying side effects of today. Apparently everyone reacts to one or the other substance, suffers from a food allergy or sneezes their hearts out in the spring thanks to hay fever .
A particularly widespread allergy, which is perceived as very exhausting and annoying by those affected, is the mite allergy. At first glance, you can’t imagine much of it. But this means the allergy to the house dust mite or rather to certain proteins in their faeces. Colloquially, this allergy is often incorrectly referred to as house dust allergy.
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This is how you prevent a mite allergy
For prevention, the stimuli should be kept as low as possible. Since the body can theoretically come into contact with the small arachnids anywhere in your own home, it is advisable to make life as difficult as possible for the mites.
The place where the mites are most often found is your own bed. Therefore, the contact that takes place overnight with a less active immune system can be limited by using special protective covers. The so-called encasing process no longer allows contact with the mites that are primarily native to the mattresses. These protective covers are usually also paid for by the health insurance companies. Nevertheless, this mattress cover must be washed regularly, every six to eight weeks, otherwise the mites will nest on the mattress. Such covers are also offered for duvets and pillows, but they reduce sleeping comfort. Here, too, it is only a case of undercovers, which means that the mattress and pillow are covered twice and are therefore considerably heavier.
Alternatively, the exposure can also be reduced by using synthetic materials in bed linen. You should also wash them regularly. If you invest in high-quality down pillows or duvets, you can also reduce the burden, as these are usually processed so finely that they do not offer any entry point for mites.
In addition, the regulation of the room temperature brings a significant improvement. Because mites like it warm and humid to allow optimal development and reproduction, you can tackle them simply by keeping the room temperature below 20 degrees Celsius. Regular ventilation to exchange the air in the room usually slows down the development of the animals more than expensive preparations. Regular vacuuming or mopping of the bedroom floor and removing dust collectors are also part of the preventive measures.
symptoms and diagnosis
The symptoms of a house dust mite allergy can be compared to those of classic hay fever. The upper respiratory tract is heavily burdened. The nose is usually blocked, you have to sneeze constantly. At the same time, the eyes also react by itching, watering and usually being noticeably reddened. If you have been affected for a long time, the lower respiratory tract may also be affected. Then breathing becomes difficult, one coughs constantly or breathes with noticeable whistling noises.
The family doctor will refer you to an ENT doctor or an allergist if there are signs of an allergic reaction. Diagnosis usually begins with narrowing down the allergen based on the medical history. The experienced doctor can already take a direction by asking the first questions, for example when the symptoms tend to occur. The extent of the symptoms is assessed by classic examinations. If there is a suspicion of house dust mite allergy, the doctor can confirm this in various ways.
The most common test in allergology is the so-called prick test. The name comes from the English term for pikes. The doctor confronts the immune system with various allergens. These are usually applied to the forearm. Several allergies can be tested at the same time. After application, the doctor pricks under the skin with a needle or tweezers, which allows the allergen to penetrate. After a few minutes, the corresponding reactions (redness or wheals) are visible.
A related test is the blood test. If the body is confronted with the allergens, this can also be detected using the antibodies produced in the body, the so-called immunoglobulins.
Another test is the so-called nasal provocation test. As the name suggests, the nasal mucous membranes are confronted with the allergens in order to observe the reaction.
Possible therapies for house dust mite allergy
In principle, therapies against mite allergies are only sought or recommended if the patient has real symptoms in addition to hypersensitivity. Can one about the above
Tips against house dust mites
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If preventive measures do not achieve any improvement, a so-called hyposensitization should be aimed for.
The allergens are administered to the patient in harmless doses, which in the long term means that the body gets used to them. There are several forms of treatment. The allergen is usually injected subcutaneously. However, therapies are also known in which the patient takes the allergen in tablets or in the form of a drop solution.
