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Mites
Published in Jerome Goddard, Public Health Entomology, 2022
A long time ago, some people were said to be allergic to house dust, but in the 1960s, Dutch researchers realized that house dust allergy was really due to house dust mites.8,9 House dust mites commonly infest homes throughout much of the world and feed on shed human skin scales, mold, pollen, feathers, and animal dander. They are barely visible to the naked eye and live most commonly in mattresses, chairs, and other furniture where people spend a lot of time. Dust mites are not poisonous and do not bite or sting, but they contain powerful allergens in their excreta, exoskeleton, and scales. House dust mites are the most important domestic source of allergic disease such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis.10,11 In fact, much asthma is due to dust mites; for example, Htut and Vickers12 say that house mites are the major cause of asthma in the UK.
Rhinitis
Published in Pudupakkam K Vedanthan, Harold S Nelson, Shripad N Agashe, PA Mahesh, Rohit Katial, Textbook of Allergy for the Clinician, 2021
Vinay Mehta, Srinivasan Ramanuja, Pramod S Kelkar
For house dust mite sensitivity, it is recommending to cover pillows and mattresses in dust-mite proof encasings; wash sheets, pillowcases and blankets in hot water every week; remove dust-collecting items (e.g., stuffed animals) from the bedroom; wear a filter mask when dusting or cleaning; and to keep the relative humidity indoors below 50% (Portnoy et al. 2013a).
Asthma
Published in James M. Rippe, Lifestyle Medicine, 2019
David E. Ciccolella, Gilbert E. D’Alonzo
House dust mite allergen is a major environmental factor in asthma.2 House dust mites are universal in areas of high humidity, which include most of the United States. In addition to high humidity, mites depend upon human dander for survival. Dust mites thrive in mattresses, pillows, carpets, upholstered furniture, and soft toys. In patients who are house dust mite sensitive and demonstrate a clinical picture consistent with allergy to the mite allergens, there are a variety of desirable control measures that should be considered.2
Family, neighborhood and psychosocial environmental factors and their associations with asthma in Australia: a systematic review and Meta-analysis
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
K. M. Shahunja,, Peter D. Sly,, Tahmina Begum, Tuhin Biswas, Abdullah Mamun
House dust mites (HDM) were also reported as a potential risk for asthma. Ponsonby et al. reported that although HDM sensitization was strongly associated with frequent wheezing (aRR 19·61; 95% CI 6·94–55·56), it had a modest association with ever developed asthma-symptoms (aRR, 1·65; 95% CI 1·30–2·09) (43). Some studies showed the overall risk of asthma-symptoms varied with the sensitization of different concentrations of HDM in the household (42,44–46) (Table S4). The odds for asthma were different for HDM in different locations (bed, floor, etc.) (45), or for different types of HDM such as Der p 1 and Der f 1 (42). However, HDM allergen Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) was most measured and had various degree of associations (43–45). There were some other indoor environmental exposures for asthma that were revealed in this review, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (46), formaldehyde (47), having a pet (34,42,48), and the presence of carpet (34).
Allergen immunotherapy against house dust mites in patients with local allergic rhinitis and asthma
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
Andrzej Bozek,, Beata Galuszka,, Radosław Gawlik,, Maciej Misiolek,, Wojciech Scierski,, Alicja Grzanka,, Giorgio Walter Canonica,
None of the mean scores obtained differed significantly in the active and placebo-treated groups at baseline. The mean scores did not change in the placebo-treated group over the 12 months as they did in the active group during that time. Evaluating the results, it appears that placebo-treated patients experienced still similar symptoms despite taking more relieving medication, which may be related to the natural progression of the disease without the benefit of immunotherapy. However, two of the control patients had a significant clinical improvement after symptomatic treatment, but this did not affect the overall results of the group. This is in line with Campo’s observation that LAR patients with house dust mite allergy have persistent symptoms that do not respond well to treatment (5).
Sleep and asthma management in youth with poorly-controlled asthma and their caregivers: a qualitative approach
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
Corinne Evans, Andrea Fidler, Dawn Baker, Mary Wagner, David Fedele
Almost half of dyads (48%) described advice they received from professionals regarding modifications to the adolescent’s home environment that could help them avoid nighttime asthma triggers and better respond to nighttime exacerbations. For example, one caregiver was encouraged to implement dust mite control measures by covering their child’s mattress and pillows and washing the child’s bedding weekly. Several other dyads reported frequent cleaning of bedding, toys, carpeting, and AC vents to avoid triggering the adolescent’s asthma during sleep. A few caregivers reported restricting adolescents’ exposure to stuffed animals in their sleeping environment with one caregiver reporting that they “keep them all in plastic.” Finally, one dyad reported keeping asthma medication by the adolescent’s bedside for easy access at night and explained that, “the doctor said it needs to be beside him when he sleeps.”