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House dust mite allergy
The majority of asthma and/or runny nose are caused by allergy to house dust mites in Malaysia. In addition infantile eczema or its equivalent in older children and adults may get better in some cases through avoiding house dust mites and house dust. There is evidence to show that house dust mites may be involved in causing eczema. However, in most cases food allergy may partly or wholly cause childhood eczema.
House dust mites are tiny (up to 0.3 mm) microscopic creatures related to ticks and spiders and feed on human and animal skin flakes. They are not visible to the naked eye. Dust mites thrive in mattress, pillows, beddings, carpets, clothes, soft toys and soft furnishings. All houses have dust mites but some houses contain huge numbers while other houses contain less numbers. The number of dust mites in homes depends on many factors including cleanliness of house, quantity of upholstered material in house, carpeted area in house and amount of moisture in house. In general dry houses in very cold climates or on high mountains have few mites but houses in temperate or tropical climates at normal altitudes have large numbers. Dust mites in large numbers have been recorded in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. People are allergic to the proteins in the dust mite fecal droppings (faeces) and dead dust mites. These droppings contain left-over gut enzymes which are highly allergenic. These enzymes are mainly responsible for causing asthma and other allergic diseases. There is ample proof that avoidance of house dust mites can not only reduce the symptoms of allergy and asthma but dramatically reduce the requirement for medications needed to control these symptoms. Always consult you allergy doctor when in doubt.
How to get rid of house dust mites? It is not easy and takes a huge effort to reduce the house dust mite allergens in homes. It is important to reduce the house dust more than 100 times before significant changes may be seen. However, reduction of dust mite allergens in the home is tremendously worthwhile and beneficial to the asthmatic patient. Some avoidance measures include the following.