![CSIRO ScienceImage 11085 A scanning electron micrograph of a female dust mite](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/CSIRO_ScienceImage_11085_A_scanning_electron_micrograph_of_a_female_dust_mite.jpg)
Dust mite allergy, also known as house dust allergy, is a
sensitization
Sensitization is a non-associative learning process in which repeated administration of a stimulus results in the progressive amplification of a response. Sensitization often is characterized by an enhancement of response to a whole class of stim ...
and
allergic reaction
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
to the droppings of
house dust mite
House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing allergies.
Biology
Species
The curren ...
s. The allergy is common and can trigger allergic reactions such as
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
,
eczema
Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...
or
itch
Itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant ...
ing. It is the manifestation of a
parasitosis
A parasitic disease, also known as parasitosis, is an infectious disease caused by parasites. Parasites are organisms which derive sustenance from its host while causing it harm. The study of parasites and parasitic diseases is known as parasitolo ...
. The mite's gut contains potent digestive enzymes (notably
peptidase 1) that persist in their feces and are major inducers of allergic reactions such as
wheezing
A wheeze is a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. For wheezes to occur, some part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed (for example narrowing of the lower respiratory tract ...
. The mite's exoskeleton can also contribute to allergic reactions. Unlike
scabies
Scabies (; also sometimes known as the seven-year itch) is a contagious skin infestation by the mite ''Sarcoptes scabiei''. The most common symptoms are severe itchiness and a pimple-like rash. Occasionally, tiny burrows may appear on the skin ...
mites or skin follicle mites, house dust mites do not burrow under the skin and are not parasitic.
The symptoms can be avoided or alleviated by a number of measures. In general, cutting down mite numbers may reduce these reactions while others say efforts to remove these mites from the environment have not been found to be effective.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...
may be useful in those affected.
Subcutaneous injections have better evidence than under the tongue dosing. Topical steroids as nasal spray or inhalation may be used.
![House_dust_mites_(5247397771)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/House_dust_mites_%285247397771%29.jpg)
Severe dust mite infestation in the home has been linked to
atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in puritis, itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thickens o ...
, and epidermal barrier damage has been documented.
Symptoms
Dust mite allergy symptoms include:
* Cough
* Facial pressure and pain
* Itchy, red or watery eyes
* Itchy nose, roof of the mouth or throat
* Nasal congestion
* Postnasal drip
* Runny nose, sneezing
* Swollen, blue-colored skin under the eyes
If the dust mite allergy contributes to
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
:
* Audible whistling or wheezing sound when exhaling
* Bouts of coughing or wheezing that are worsened by a respiratory virus such as a cold or the flu
* Chest tightness or pain
* Difficulty breathing
* Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
Cross-reactivity to shellfish allergy
Tropomyosin
Tropomyosin is a two-stranded alpha-helical, coiled coil protein found in actin-based cytoskeletons.
Tropomyosin and the actin skeleton
All organisms contain organelles that provide physical integrity to their cells. These type of organelles a ...
, the major allergen in dust mites, is also responsible for
shellfish allergy.
Exposure to inhaled tropomyosins from dust mites is thought to be the primary sensitizer for shellfish allergy, an example of inhalant-to-food cross-reactivity.
Epidemiological surveys have confirmed correlation between shellfish and dust mite sensitizations.
[ An additional confirmation was seen in Orthodox Jews with no history of shellfish consumption, in that skin tests confirming dust mite allergy were also positive for shellfish tropomyosin.] In addition to tropomyosin, the proteins arginine kinase and hemocyanin
Hemocyanins (also spelled haemocyanins and abbreviated Hc) are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some invertebrate animals. These metalloproteins contain two copper atoms that reversibly bind a single oxygen molecule (O2) ...
seem to have a role in cross-reactivity to dust mites.
Prevention
Furniture
Furniture with wooden or leather surfaces reduces the dust mite population.
Bed linen
Hot tumble drying a bed linen for 1 hour will kill 99% of mites therein.
Weekly changing the bed linen reduces the risk of exposure to dust mites.
Cotton covers not covered with complete mattress covers are very likely to become colonized by bacteria and molds; they must be cleaned periodically (at least every second to third month). Here, the dust mites are beneficial as they return cotton to its original state after it has degraded by contact with bare skin.
Dust mite egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
s are freeze tolerant (−70 °C for 30 minutes); hatching can normally be prevented by exposure of fabrics to:
* Direct sunlight for 3 hours or
* Dry or wet heat of at least 60 °C (140 °F) for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Dust mites drown in water.
Good properties of anti-mite fabrics have been identified as being:
* Thread count
Textile fibers, threads, yarns and fabrics are measured in a multiplicity of units.
* A fiber, a single filament of natural material, such as cotton, linen or wool, or artificial material such as nylon, polyester, metal or mineral fiber, or man-m ...
greater than 246.
* Pore size of between 2 and 10 micrometres. This will prevent dust mite faecal pellets that can be small as 10 µm.
* Allergen impenetrability >99%.
* Dust leakage of less than 4%.
* Breathability
Breathability is the ability of a fabric to allow moisture vapor to be transmitted through the material.
Mechanism
Air permeability is the ability of a fabric to allow air to pass through it. While air permeable fabrics tend to have relatively hig ...
between 2 and 6 cm3 s−1 cm−2.
Indoor climate
Allergy patients are advised to keep the relative humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
below 50%, if possible. Very few mites can survive if the humidity is less than 45% (at ). However, they can survive if the humidity is high just for an hour and a half per day, for example due to moisture released to the air when cooking food.
Treatment
Allergen immunotherapy
Allergen immunotherapy
Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies, such as insect bites, and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergen in ...
(AIT, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization) is a treatment involved in administering the doses of allergens to accustom the body to substances that are generally harmless (pollen, house dust mites
House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing allergies.
Biology
Species
The current ...
), thereby inducing specific long-term tolerance. Allergen immunotherapy is the only treatment that alters the disease mechanism.
Immunotherapy can be administered orally (as sublingual tablets
Sublingual (abbreviated SL), from the Latin for "under the tongue", refers to the pharmacological route of administration by which substances diffuse into the blood through tissues under the tongue.
The sublingual glands receive their primar ...
or sublingual drops), or by injections under the skin ( subcutaneous). Subcutaneous immunotherapy is the most common form and has the largest body of evidence supporting its effectiveness.
Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT)
Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT) also known as Allergy Shots are series of shots/injections of the allergen given into the fat under the skin that have progressively larger amounts of allergen. These shots can be given to children as young as 5 years old.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)
HDM-SLIT tablet, House Dust Mites (Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) Allergen Extract (Trade-names: ODACTRA, ACARIZAX & MITICURE'')'', is the only FDA approved allergen extract for the immunotherapic treatment of adolescents (12–17 years) and adults (18–65 years). It significantly treats house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...
, with or without conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is inflammation of the conjunctiva, outermost layer of the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. It makes the eye appear pink or reddish. Pain, burning, scratchiness, or itchiness may ...
''.'' It has been approved in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, South-East Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and 14 European countries
The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the regions of Europe, various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, ...
.
Further reading
* List of mites associated with cutaneous reactions
Many mites can bite human skin and cause cutaneous reaction and/or disease. Mites which cannot bite humans may also transmit disease or cause allergies.
See also
* List of conditions associated with café au lait macules
*List of contact all ...
* List of allergens
* House dust mite
House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing allergies.
Biology
Species
The curren ...
* Allergy
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
* Asthma and Allergy Friendly
Asthma & Allergy Friendly is a registered certification mark operated by Allergy Standards Limited in association with not-for-profit asthma and/or allergy organizations, labeling products which have been put through and have passed standardised te ...
* Allergic rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...
References
External links
House Dust Mite Injection (Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus): Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Interactions, Warning
{{Authority control
Allergology