One of my patients had a complaint of having “allergies” to construction dusts; she had been exposed to dusts from a construction site in her neighborhood. I explained to her that the construction dusts couldn’t cause allergies.
However, construction dusts could have caused irritation of her nose, eyes and airways, a non-allergic reaction.
The cause of dust allergies is dust mites, the eight-legged organisms that live indoors. House dusts are the only type of dusts that may contain dust mites.
As house dust floats in indoor environments, it may carry dust mites. Repeated inhalation of dust mites or their fecal materials, which contain an allergen, may lead to allergies.
What are the symptoms of dust mite allergies?
Symptoms of dust mite allergies are similar to allergies due to pollens and animal danders. These symptoms include sneezing, runny and stuffy nose, postnasal drip, red, watery and itchy eyes, and respiratory symptoms such as cough, wheezing or shortness of breath.
Take measures to prevent or manage dust mite allergies
The following are few tips to prevent dust mite allergies:
n Do not use carpets, at least not in bedrooms. Dust mites live in the bottom layers of carpets. Vacuuming the carpet can only remove 10 percent of dust mites that are in superficial layers of the carpets.
n Flooring options may include hardwood or linoleum.
n You may treat carpets with benzyl benzoate, a chemical to kill mites, or tannic acid, a chemical that does not kill mites but it destroys the dust mite allergen.
n Do not vacuum the house if you have allergies; alternatively, use mask during vacuuming and use a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air filter, also known as a HEPA filter.
n Use an air cleaner system with HEPA filter.
n Keep the humidity below 50 percent.
n Clean the dusty places such as tables, counters and bookshelves with a damp fabric.
n Encase pillows, mattresses and box springs with dust-mite-proof encasings.
n Do not use feather pillows or comforters because they trap dust mites.
n Avoid upholstered furniture and stuffed toy animals because they can trap dust mites.
n Furniture options may include leather or vinyl.
n Wash the beddings with hot water, 130 degrees F, once a week or once in a two-week period.
Dr. Massoud Mahmoudi is an assistant clinical professor in the division of Allergy and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco’s Department of Medicine and is in private practice in the South Bay. He is the author of the upcoming book “Allergy Cure!” E-mail him questions at doctormahmoudi @yahoo.com.
