Many parents often face such a serious problem as the occurrence of an allergy to dust mites in a child. If the baby has characteristic signs, then you can not take drugs on your own without a doctor's prescription. In order for the treatment to work correctly, you need to accurately determine the type of allergen, which only a doctor can determine.
Dust mites and their types
Before determining how to treat an allergy to dust mites, it is worthwhile to study what these small parasites are, what threat they pose to humans. The dust mite is an insect belonging to the class of arachnids. It lives at an air temperature of 22-26 degrees, and it is fed by the wool of blankets, rugs, as well as particles of dead human skin.
Ticks have adapted perfectly to living in house dust, in furniture, in pillows, blankets, even in soft children's toys. Waste products of parasites (faeces) contain specific elements that trigger allergies in many people.
Types of allergies
Signs of this disease may appear immediately or increase gradually. Initially, they mayexpressed in the form of nasal congestion, however, over time, this symptomatology can be significantly aggravated. There can be many different types of allergies, namely:
- respiratory;
- contact;
- food.
Respiratory allergy occurs when particles of mites enter the respiratory tract along with dust. This provokes a cough, runny nose and itching in the nose, sore throat. Contact allergy occurs when tick bites and provokes the occurrence of redness and inflammation of the affected area. Food allergies occur when ticks enter the stomach and can cause various eating disorders.
Allergy to dust mites occurs through close contact with this insect. Over time, an allergic reaction can turn into bronchial asthma. Among the main manifestations of human contact with a dust mite are:
- dermatitis;
- breathlessness;
- photophobia;
- respiratory allergy;
- Quincke's edema.
When symptoms of an allergy to a dust mite appear, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner for qualified help. Only a doctor is able to prescribe adequate treatment, for which special tests are carried out.
Causes of an allergic reaction to dust mites
Allergy to dust mites is observed quite often, and the main causes of this disease are:
-bronchial asthma;
-genetic predisposition;
-children's age.
Often, allergies occur during the period of cold weather, due to rare ventilation of the room, as well as insufficient air circulation in the room. In this case, ticks and their metabolic products actively accumulate in the room. In the course of their life, ticks excrete feces containing toxic substances. These wastes, together with dust, rise into the air and get on the mucous membranes and human skin. This provokes an allergic reaction.
Cat hair can create the required conditions for ticks to live, as they are very fond of fleecy surfaces, where a lot of dust always accumulates. If a pet lives in the house, then it is imperative to regularly clean the home (not the pet) with a vacuum cleaner, using special nozzles that help to cope with even the slightest pollution.
Dog hair can act as an additional allergen, and together with dust, it provokes allergic reactions. That is why it is important to monitor your well-being and consult a doctor in a timely manner so that treatment can be started quickly.
Features of the course of allergies
Symptoms of a dust mite allergy in a child may appear as:
- swelling of mucous membranes and larynx;
- occurrence of a cough reflex;
- sneezing, without secretion of mucus characteristic of a runny nose;
- itching of the nasal passages;
- eye redness and tearing;
- temperature increase;
- formation of skin rashes.
The child may have difficulty breathing, there are attacks of suffocation, severe wheezing and a dry cough. There may be other symptoms of an allergy to a dust mite, and with a strong reaction of the body, the child sometimes has Quincke's edema. All these signs can disappear on their own if the child is taken out into the fresh air, but complex competent treatment is often required. How allergy to dust mites manifests itself, the photo above demonstrates quite clearly.
Diagnostics
There are many types of allergic reactions in the body. That is why it is important to know how an allergy to dust mites manifests itself in order to make a correct diagnosis and differentiate this disease from others, such as a cold. If dust mites are the cause of the allergy, then the sick person will feel more comfortable on the street, and upon returning home, all symptoms will return.
A negative reaction of the body occurs at the moment when the patient comes into contact with objects in which insects live. A pronounced allergic reaction occurs mainly during the breeding season of these insects.
If you have symptoms of a dust mite allergy, you should immediately consult a doctor, who should first of all take a medical history, as well as prescribe additional laboratory tests, in particular, such as a biochemical blood test and skin tests.
With modern techniqueslaboratory diagnostics and specialized tests can identify 25 allergens that are contained in ticks and their waste products. In addition to this, the following studies are being carried out:
- determination of the type of antibodies in blood serum;
- expanded blood immunogram;
- microbiological examination.
Based on this, you can choose the required method of conducting therapy. Any drugs and traditional medicine can be used only after consulting a doctor.
Medicated treatment
The treatment of allergy to dust mites is primarily to eliminate the habitats of these insects (elementary cleaning of the room, shaking out pillows and featherbeds, cleaning children's toys). In parallel, it is necessary to stop the allergic reaction with drugs prescribed by the doctor.
Symptoms and treatment of dust mite allergy in a child can be different, so you need to choose the right medication. Signs of the disease are stopped with:
- antihistamines;
- corticosteroids;
- nasal funds.
The doctor selects all these medicines purely individually. If you suspect the presence of a disease, you should initially contact an allergist, who, if necessary, will refer you to an immunologist for special tests. With the help of these samples, a substance is determined that could provoke a negative reaction. It is worth remembering that medications eliminate onlyexisting symptoms, but not the underlying cause of the disease.
Treatment of dust mite allergy is carried out mainly with the following drugs:
- Telfast;
- "Suprastin";
- "Erius";
- Aleron;
- "Eden".
In addition, nasal remedies are prescribed: "Atomer Propolis" and "Aquamaris". The drug "Atomer Propolis" can be used only if there is no allergy to bee products.
The drug "Telfast" allows you to get rid of the main manifestations of allergies. This drug is available in the form of tablets. It is allowed to take this medicine from the age of 6 years. The drug "Erius" is available in the form of syrup and tablets. Treatment with this drug can be started from 1 year, but only with the permission of the doctor. With the help of this medicine, complications in the area of the skin and respiratory organs can be eliminated.
The drug "Aquamaris" is prescribed even for infants. It comes in the form of sprays and drops. This tool helps to gently cleanse the nasal mucosa from accumulated allergens. In the treatment of dust mite allergy, medicines and home methods should be selected very carefully, coordinating all this with the doctor, and after all allergy tests have been carried out, as this will help determine the most suitable medicine.
Elimination of allergic reactions is carried out by subcutaneous injection of extracts and extracts of allergens into the human body. Initially, they are administered in small amounts, and as you get used to, the dosage increases. ATAs a result, the body gradually gets used to the irritating substance and completely stops responding to it. This allows you to permanently get rid of allergies.
To achieve the desired reaction of the body and permanently eliminate allergies, you need to make 20-40 subcutaneous injections. Sometimes during vaccination, the use of medications is required to help reduce the symptoms of the disease. However, in the future, when in contact with the allergen, the child will not feel the need to take antihistamines.
Folk methods of therapy
If you are allergic to a dust mite, you can treat it with the help of folk remedies and techniques. To wash out allergens from the nasal cavity, it can be washed with a saline solution. To prepare a solution, you need to dilute 1 tsp. s alt for 1 tbsp. water.
Inhalation with water vapor also helps to eliminate the symptoms of a runny nose and remove inflammation of the mucous membranes. Inhalation of steam in the bath helps a lot. If you are allergic to a dust mite, you can drink decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs that will help eliminate the existing symptoms. When using this technique, you should definitely consult a doctor, as some medicinal plants can provoke an even greater allergy attack. During therapy, it is important to follow a certain diet and exclude from your usual diet:
- chocolate;
- corn;
- coffee.
Among proven medicinal plants againstallergies are:
- St. John's wort;
- wild rose;
- camomile;
- centaury;
- horsetail.
You can take decoctions and infusions of these herbs separately or make a medicinal collection that will help eliminate the main symptoms of the disease.
What could be the complications
If therapy is not carried out in a timely manner, then an allergy to dust mites in a child can go into a chronic stage and provoke many different complications, which will be very difficult to deal with. Among the main complications are:
- rhinitis;
- asthma;
- conjunctivitis.
Allergic asthma leads to congestive and inflammatory processes in the airways, suffocation and bronchial spasm. Allergic rhinitis provokes a copious discharge of mucus from the nose. In the absence of the required therapy, this disease is often the impetus for the onset of asthma. In a child, an allergy to dust mites sometimes provokes inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes. If allergic conjunctivitis is not treated correctly, the child's vision deteriorates, and in especially severe cases, blindness occurs. Because of all the he alth concerns mentioned above, it's important to know what to do with a child's dust mite allergy, how to treat it, and how to reduce symptoms.
How to minimize exposure to dust mites
If you are constantly allergic to dust mites, you should try to minimize your child's contact with these insects. This means doing the following:
- get rid of carpets;
- replace feather pillows with synthetic ones, for example, padding polyester;
- take out fur products from the children's room;
- wash bed linen at a temperature of at least 60 degrees, using various additives that kill ticks;
- curtains and curtains, if possible, replace with blinds;
- limit the contact of an allergic child with a cat and / or dog (if they are available in the house);
- for things and books, select lockable cabinets and shelves;
- often take out blankets, pillows, soft toys for airing.
In addition to the above measures, it is recommended to use anti-dust and hypoallergenic covers for storing linen, daily wet cleaning in the room, washing the floor with a special solution prepared with s alt. In the rooms, it is advisable to install air cleaners equipped with ozonizers and ultraviolet lamps, as they help reduce the accumulation of mites in the air. It is important to consume enough vitamin C, which helps to strengthen the immune system. For this purpose, it is desirable for the child to include fruits and vegetables in the diet, in which there is a lot of this vitamin. But you also need to be careful when choosing a menu for your allergic baby so that he does not have additional reactions.
How to get rid of dust mites
Dust mites can live not only in layers of dust on the surface of cabinets and other inaccessible places, but also settlecloser to their main source of nutrition - human skin. This means that large-scale colonies of mites are formed in the upholstery of upholstered furniture, in mattresses, even in towels that have not been washed for a long time. The disease begins when the number of these insects is exceeded in layers of dust or in upholstered furniture. If there are 5-10 thousand individuals per 1 g of dust, then a person begins an acute allergic reaction, which is expressed in the form of rashes that look like tick bites.
It is almost impossible to completely expel ticks from the premises. However, it is necessary to regularly reduce their number to a value that is not dangerous to human he alth. For this you need:
- often ventilate the room;
- carefully iron bed linen and textiles;
- take out pillows, runners, carpets in the cold;
- monitor the humidity in the rooms.
Laundry and cleaning must be carried out regularly, as this will help eliminate not only dust mites, but also many other parasites. When cleaning, it is not recommended to use conventional vacuum cleaners, as they only scatter microparticles of dust in the air. It is best to use vacuum cleaners equipped with special filters that trap dust particles, and with it dust mites.
If there is a constant allergy to the presence of dust mites, then a simple wet cleaning will not help get rid of them. Therefore, when cleaning, special tools are used, which are divided into categories such as:
-natural;
- chemical;
- technical.
Natural remedies help to significantly improve the well-being of an allergic person and do not require significant material and technical costs. Natural dust mite control methods include:
- providing the maximum amount of light;
- low temperature and humidity;
- cleaning and airing fabric and feather products.
All these techniques are considered very good prevention, which will help create quite uncomfortable conditions for the growth and reproduction of these insects. If a person has a severe allergy and contact with the allergen significantly worsens the state of he alth, then chemical agents can be used to eliminate ticks. To eliminate these insects, you can use a special spray that will help you quickly and without harm to human he alth to destroy dust mites in the house. Among the most popular sprays are the following:
- Easy Air;
- Allergoff;
- Glutoclean;
- Binatec.
To get rid of dust mites with a spray, you just need to spray the room with this product to kill the parasites. In addition, there are special laundry detergents.
Treatment reviews
Dust mite allergy is fairly common. Feedback on the treatment of patients with various antiallergic drugs is mostly positive. Some patients note the good effect of the drug "Cetirizine", as it helps to quickly eliminate the main manifestationsdiseases. The drug helps especially well in the treatment of allergies in the initial stages.
Edem also deserved good reviews, since this drug can be given to a child starting from 1 year old. Literally a few days after the start of taking the drug, patients note the normalization of well-being. Runny nose, sneezing and rashes disappear almost immediately.
Some patients note that the drug "Fenistil" helped them well, since within a few days after the start of taking it, skin rashes disappear, itching decreases, and the eyes also begin to water less.
