What are dust mite allergy symptoms?
Dust mite allergy symptoms are a lot like hay fever or a persistent cold. It is among the most common types of allergies.
In this article we will look at why dust mites cause allergic reaction, the tell-tale signs to look out for if you think you could be having dust mite allergy symptoms and ways to manage it.
Dust mite allergy symptoms: it is not about the bug.
Dust mites were first linked to allergic conditions by scientists in 1960s. Like most bugs, the 8-legged spider looking creature looks pretty scary under a microscope. But they are harmless – they don’t bite or sting. It is the bug’s personal habits that cause dust mite allergy symptoms.
Each dust mite produces 200 times its body weight in waste in the course of its short life that is an average of about 20 fecal pallets per day. Multiply that by 100,000 (or 2 million) dust mites living in your mattress you get A LOT of fecal pallets. The droppings are also very fine (20-25 microns). Those little pellets end up in your pillows and your mattress and get spread through the air. When they are breathed in by someone who is sensitive to the enzymes, they can cause wheezing and sneezing and itching an all sorts of non-fun asthma and allergy symptoms.
“Enzymes in dust mite droppings have been found to be a major cause of allergic reactions and associated with childhood asthma.”
Allergic rhinitis year round could be dust mite allergy symptoms
Dust mite allergy results from the body immune reaction. One of the symptoms of dust mite allergy is constant (all year round) allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory condition of the lining of your nose. Your immune system identifies the dust mite waste particles as dangerous intruders and produce histamine (chemical messenger). It sends out its armies to attack them, which causes inflammation of the nasal lining and even lungs. To you that feels like a horribly blocked nose and lots of mucus. Prolonged exposure to the allergen can cause chronic inflammation which can be associated with asthma.
Dust mite allergy symptoms: More than just a blocked nose
Do you sometimes feel like you can scratch your nose off due to itching? Do your eyes water? Do you constantly have a stuffy or runny nose and sometimes break out in hives? Eczema is another of the possible dust mite allergy symptoms. Repeated flares of the rash can be very itchy and irritating. Eczema often gets in the way of a good night’s sleep too.
Your allergic reaction might start with a stuffy nose, but you can also have these dust mite allergy symptoms:
Runny nose
Itchy nose
Congested, stuffy nose
Sneezing
Itchy, red, watery eyes particularly when you wake up
Nasal congestion
Post-nasal drip
Cough
Pain and pressure in the face
Swollen skin under the eye
Difficulty in breathing
Tight chest
Wheezing
Skin reactions, hives, rashes, eczema
Dust mite allergy symptoms can involve any combination of the above. Symptoms can range anywhere from severe to mild, depending on how sensitive you are to dust mite droppings.
“Estimates are that dust mites may be a contributor or trigger in 50 to 80 percent of asthmatics, as well as in countless cases of eczema, hay fever and other allergic ailments. ”
Dust mite allergy symptoms can affect your daily life
Losing sleep is bad for your physical and mental health. It leaves you feeling exhausted in the mornings. You may have trouble concentrating, which creates problems at work or school. Some people even start feeling anxious and depressed. In children constant mouth breathing due to allergy (stuffed nose) can have long-term impacts for the health of the teeth, the formation of the mouth and even the shape of the face.
Learn the wellbeing benefits of a clean mattress to optimise your sleep and how a SafeSnooze treatment can help.
What’s the difference between cold and dust mite allergy symptoms?
Maybe you think, it is just a cold. However, if you cannot shake it off in a week or so, it could just be a dust mite allergy. These are some typical signs you can look for to help rule out having a cold:
Cold:
Symptoms appear over a couple of days
Raised temperature of fever due to infection of virus
Symptoms last about a week
Dust mite allergy:
Symptoms appear quite suddenly
Very unlikely to cause a fever or raised temperature
Symptoms will last as long as your are exposed to the triggers. If you are congested and sneezes all year round, it could be symptoms of dust mite allergy.
Diagnosing dust mite allergy symptoms
Only a health care provider can say for certain if you have dust mite allergy symptoms. Book an appointment and start keeping an allergy diary. These are the sort of things to note down:
How are you feeling, exactly?
How long do your symptoms last?
Does anything seem to make them worse, or better?
Do you notice your allergy symptoms happening at particular times of day?
For instance, are you suffering more at night?
Maybe it’s only at certain times of year?
Do your allergy symptoms happen at home or when you’re outside?
If it does sound like dust mite allergy symptoms, your health care provider might refer you to a specialist for more tests. A skin prick test or blood test can help to confirm the diagnosis.
Dust mite allergy symptom relief
There are few over-the-counter and prescription medications that will help relieve symptoms for dust-mite sufferers. Talk to your doctor about antihistamines(blocks the chemical histamine), nasal corticosteroids (help calm inflammation) , and decongestants, but long term we do not want to pump our bodies full of medicine, but rather dig deeper and manage the cause of the symptoms.
If you have eczema, there are skin care regimes designed to soothe and moisturize. Meanwhile antihistamines and corticosteroid creams may help control itching and inflammation. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist for advice.
Always follow your health care provider’s or pharmacist’s advice as well as the instructions in the patient information leaflet when taking medicines to relieve dust mite allergy symptoms.
In extreme cases where the dust mite allergy symptoms are hard to manage, your doctor may discuss allergy immunotherapy.
“Conservatively, at least 100 million people worldwide are affected by house dust mite allergy, manifesting as asthma, rhinitis or atopic dermatitis”
6 tips on how to prevent and manage dust mites exposure in your home
Ensure you sanitise and disinfect your mattress all pillows with a SafeSnooze treatment
Using allergen proof bed covers
Washing beddings often in hot water (>60 degrees Celsius)
Remove stuffed toys from the bedroom
Keeping humidity low (under 60%)
Using damp mop to remove dust
Vacuuming carpet and furniture regularly
Read our blog on 5 Things that EVERYONE Should Know About Dust Mites
“Exposure to dust mites in the first few years of a baby’s life can trigger a lifelong allergy”
Do not ignore persistent symptoms that could indicate a dust mite allergy.
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