When cleaning a room that has not been occupied for a long time, do you sneeze continuously? Do you get an itchy nose and cough when walking on a dusty road? Change the season to take out the quilt cover one night, will you have a rash on your body? If these have ever been seen in your daily life, there is a good chance that you are allergic to dust mites.
Dust mites are a common allergen in daily life and can cause allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, allergic dermatitis and urticaria.
<h2>An introduction to dust mites</h2>
Dust mites are a kind of feeding on auto-mites that prefer to feed on human skin scales, animal dander and food crumbs.
There are about 30 species of dust mites associated with human allergic diseases, of which house dust mites, dust mites and buried Euro dust mites are the most common dust mites that cause allergic diseases in humans. House dust mites mainly breed in pillows, quilts, upholstery and furniture in bedrooms. Dust mites are commonly found in flour mills, cotton mills, food warehouses and Chinese medicine warehouses. Buried Europae dust mites are common in bedding, wool clothing and carpets.
Ambient temperature and relative humidity have an important impact on the growth, development and propagation of dust mites, and the most suitable temperature is 21.1 °C ~ 32.2 °C, and the most suitable relative humidity is 70% ~ 80%. Therefore, with the change of the four seasons, the dust mites that breed the most in the summer will drop significantly in the winter.
At the same time, the requirements of different types of dust mites for the most suitable ambient temperature and relative humidity are also different, so the difference in geographical environment and climate will cause differences in the species composition and abundance of dust mites.
Shanghai, Jiangxi and other areas of China are mainly dominated by house dust mites, Guangzhou and Shenzhen areas are dominated by house dust mites, dust mites and tropical clawless mites, while Hainan regions are dominated by tropical clawless mites (see Figure 1).
<h2>There are two pathways for dust mite sensitization</h2>
Dust mites are the most common allergens, and substances such as mites, secretions, excrement, mite molts, and dead dust mite lysates can all cause allergies.
There are two main ways for dust mites to be sensitized: (1) sensitization in direct contact with the skin. (2) Sensitization caused by inhalation into the human body through the respiratory tract in the air. Direct contact with the skin is generally prone to allergic diseases such as allergic dermatitis and urticaria, while inhalation through the respiratory tract in the air is prone to allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma (see Figure 2).
<h2>Dust mite-sensitized diseases</h2>
Dust mites can mainly cause allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, allergic dermatitis and urticaria. Since dust mites can cause one or more allergic diseases, and may even induce systemic allergic reactions in severe cases, it is necessary to protect dust mites and timely diagnosis and treatment of dust mite sensitization.
<h2>Protection against dust mite allergies</h2>
(1) Maintain indoor hygiene, frequent dust removal (need to wear a protective mask), keep dry and ventilated.
(2) Wash bed sheets and pillowcases frequently (wash bedding with hot water above 55 °C every week). (3) Use anti-mite bedding.
(4) Frequent sunburn quilt (after sunbathing, vigorously flap, so that the mites on the bedding fall), in winter placed outdoors -18 ° C can also kill dust mites.
(5) Try not to use carpets, fabric curtains, filled furniture (such as fabric sofas), etc., simplify the layout of indoor furniture, and avoid dust accumulation.
(6) Use air purifiers, vacuum cleaners with filters, etc., and regularly clean or replace the filters of these household appliances.
(7) Use high safety dust removal mite preparations (mite removal) and mite removal patches.
(8) Do not let pets into the bedroom, it is best to put it outdoors, because pet fur is also easy to carry dust mites.