Are you constantly getting sick because of house dust? Let's talk about this dust mite allergy!

Do you also have a cold that never ends? Do you have a runny nose , especially when you get out of bed in the morning? Do you have a stuffy nose, red eyes, and itchy eyes? You may have been suffering from these things for a long time. Have you ever thought that the cause of this is not the usual cold as you think, but a small animal that lives in your house, but is invisible to the naked eye? That's what we're talking about today.

What is Dust Mite Allergy?

Simply put, dust allergy is an overreaction of our body's immune system to tiny insects that live in the dust in our homes. We call these little creatures "dust mites." Millions of people around the world, including Sri Lanka, suffer from this allergy. You may feel like you have a never-ending cold, or it may even make your asthma worse.

These dust mites are a species of insects that are close relatives of spiders. However, we cannot see them with our naked eyes unless we look at them through a microscope. They are white and have eight legs. They prefer to live in warm, humid environments like those in countries like ours. To be precise, they like places with temperatures between 20-25 degrees Celsius and humidity between 70%-80%.

Now you're probably wondering what they eat. The main food for dust mites is the dead skin cells that fall off our bodies. These accumulate in places like our bedding, mattresses, pillows, sofas, and carpets. So these creatures have the most food in those places.

The good news is that there are good treatments for this condition, and we can control these mites in our homes by following a few simple steps.

What are the symptoms of this allergy?

The symptoms of dust allergies are very similar to allergies to things like pollen. See if you have these symptoms too.

If you have asthma, dust mite allergies can make your asthma symptoms worse. This means:

• Difficulty breathing
• Feeling of tightness or pain in the chest
• Cough
• Hearing a 'whistling' sound from the chest when exhaling

The special thing about this allergy is that since dust mites are present in our homes all year round, these symptoms can also be present all year round. You may feel these symptoms more when you wake up in the morning , especially since they are mostly found in mattresses, pillows, and bed sheets.

Why do we get allergies like this?

An allergy is when our body's defense system, the immune system , mistakes something that is actually harmless to our body (e.g., dust mites, pollen) as a "dangerous enemy."

When this is misunderstood, the immune system starts to fight against that "enemy." The result of this fight is allergic inflammation, such as sneezing, runny nose, and itching. This is similar to what happens when you have a cold. If these symptoms persist for a long time, sometimes it can even lead to a condition like asthma.

Who is more likely to develop this dust allergy?

• If anyone in the family has other allergies (dust, pollen, food).
• If you live in an environment that is constantly full of dust and dust mites.
• If you are a child or young person .

How do you know for sure if this is a dust allergy?

If the doctor suspects that it could be a dust allergy after hearing about your symptoms, he will examine you.

• They will ask about your symptoms and the environment you live in.
• The inside of your nose will be examined. In people with allergies, the membranes inside the nose may become swollen and turn a pale or bluish color.

In addition, there are several tests to confirm this.

1. Skin Prick Test: This is the most common test. In this test, a very small amount of dust mite extract is placed on the surface of your skin and a small prick is made with a small needle. If you are allergic, the area will become red, swollen, and itchy within 20 minutes.

2. IgE blood test: Some people may not be able to have a skin test (e.g., if they have a skin condition or are taking certain medications). In those cases, your doctor may take a sample of your blood and order this test. This tests how much antibodies your body produces against dust mites.

The doctor will determine whether you have this allergy by considering your symptoms along with the results of these tests.

What are the treatments for this?

There are several medications that your doctor can prescribe or that you can buy at a pharmacy to help control your symptoms. However, you should always talk to your doctor before using any medication .

• Antihistamines: Control symptoms such as itching, sneezing, and watery eyes.
• Decongestants: Help relieve a stuffy nose.
• Nasal Steroids: Reduce swelling inside the nose and make breathing easier.
• Leukotriene Modifiers: Block certain chemicals in the immune system and reduce symptoms.

In addition to these, there are other treatments:

• Allergy shots (Immunotherapy): This is a longer-term treatment. In this, the allergen is given as an injection, starting with a very small amount and gradually increasing the dose. Over time, your immune system becomes "adapted" to it and stops responding.
• Nasal Irrigation: Rinsing the inside of the nose with saline solution can help remove allergens and mucus that have accumulated in the nose, providing relief.

Talk to your doctor to decide which treatment is best for you.

Most importantly: How to protect yourself from dust mites?

For this, we first need to focus on where they like to live. They like warm, humid places. That means, if we can keep our homes cool and dry, we can control their growth.

The bedroom is the first place to focus.

Millions of dust mites can live in your mattress, pillows, and bedding, so we need to start cleaning there.

• Put dust-mite-proof plastic or special covers on your pillows, mattresses, and bed boxes.
• Use pillows made of polyester fibers instead of cotton or feather pillows.
• At least once a week, wash all your bedding and pillowcases in hot water above 54 Celsius (130 F) . This heat is essential to kill dust mites. Then dry them thoroughly in the sun or in a hot dryer.
• If possible, remove the carpet and use tile, terrazzo, or wood flooring.

Keep the house generally clean.

When cleaning your home, it's important to remove dust particles instead of just moving them around.

• Use a damp cloth when dusting the house.
• Vacuum your home thoroughly at least once a week. It's best to use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter if possible.
• Clean thoroughly under and behind things like sofas and chairs.
• Instead of heavy window treatments, use lightweight, easy-to-wash window treatments. Wash them regularly in hot water.
• Reduce the amount of dust-collecting items in your home, such as unnecessary items, toys, and old books.

Keep the air clean and dry.

• Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to reduce humidity in your home. Try to keep the humidity in your home between 40%-50%.
• If possible, keep windows and doors open for ventilation.

Things that can happen if you ignore this

If you don't take care of this dust allergy and continue to be exposed to dust mites, further health problems may arise.

• Sinusitis: Inflammation of the sinuses around the nose.
• Asthma: The onset of asthma or worsening of an existing asthma condition.
• Eczema: An itchy skin condition.
• The body becomes more sensitive to things like cigarette smoke and air pollution.

Therefore, if you have symptoms like these, it is very important to see your doctor as soon as possible and seek advice, without ignoring them.

Dust allergy, Dust Mite Allergy, Itching, Nasal congestion, Asthma, Itchy skin, Allergy symptoms