Dust Allergy

Dust allergies aren’t caused by the dust you inhale. However, the allergy is triggered by dust mites found within the dust. Dust mites can be found in almost every part of your home, from curtains, beds, rugs, furniture, and carpets.

Your home can’t be completely free of dust mites, as a result, if you’re allergic you’ll have symptoms all year round. Compared with hay fever, dust mite symptoms are less severe. In addition, dust mites symptoms tend to get more intense in the morning and at night due to their presence on pillows and beddings.

Symptoms

Dust mite allergy is characterized by several symptoms, including runny nose, sneezing, and stuffy nose. Other symptoms include:

• Swollen eyelids
• Watery and itchy eyes
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Diagnosis

Your doctor can use different tests to determine if you are allergic to dust mites. Some tests can include a physical examination, blood, or skin test. If you have the symptoms all year round, you may be allergic to dust mites for physical examinations.

A minor allergen is placed on your skin for the skin prick test. The doctor will scratch the spot, and if you are allergic, symptoms like swelling and redness can begin to develop within 20 minutes.

Doctors can also use specific IgE tests. The method entails drawing blood, adding allergens to it in a laboratory, and determining the number of antibodies your blood produces to counter the allergens. The test is advisable if you are using medications that hinder skin testing.

Management

An effective way to manage dust allergy is avoiding substances that induce the allergy. You can reduce contact with dust mites in your bedroom by cleaning the floor, changing bed sheets, and removing dust traps.

Other measures can include opening the windows to bring fresh air in and keeping plants and air humidifiers out of bedrooms.

Treatment

Various medications can treat dust allergies. They include steroids, antihistamines, chromones, decongestant nasal sprays and drops, and leukotriene receptor antagonists. Other treatment options include:

• Saline nasal sprays
• Nasal washes
• Allergen-specific immunotherapy

How Can We Help?

If you think you may suffer from dust allergies, the specialists at Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology can help. To make an appointment, please call us on 850.969.2340.