Indoor allergens such as mold, dust mites, pet dander and household chemicals can trigger symptoms including watery eyes, sneezing, congestion and itching. Medication or changing cleaning routines may provide relief.
Mild indoor allergies typically respond well to antihistamine medication and home maintenance solutions like avoiding certain houseplants, running a dehumidifier in basements and regularly vacuuming carpets. More severe symptoms may require immunotherapy treatment.
Medications
Millions of people suffer from allergy symptoms caused by indoor allergens like dust mite droppings, animal dander and cockroach parts – these allergens can also trigger or worsen asthma symptoms and can range from seasonal or year-round allergies to symptoms like sneezing, itching in the nose throat or eyes and nasal and sinus congestion.
Antihistamines and corticosteroid nasal sprays may help alleviate indoor allergy symptoms. While allergy medications don’t provide a permanent solution, they do help control symptoms rather than cure them; such as oral antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy Relief), loratadine (Allegra Allergy), or fexofenadine (Flurbinate Allergy Relief). Corticosteroid nasal sprays such as fluticasone propionate (Flonase Allergy Relief), or budesonide (Rhinocort Allergy Relief) help treat sinus symptoms and improve sinus conditions.
Immunotherapy, commonly referred to as allergy shots, is another treatment option available to indoor allergy sufferers. The goal is to desensitize your immune system to specific allergens over time by administering weekly injections with gradually increasing allergen doses supervised by a doctor over multiple sessions – though these injections may take time!
Immunotherapy can be used on its own or combined with environmental changes to decrease allergen exposure. Immunotherapy may also prove helpful for patients suffering severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis. Furthermore, immunotherapy has proven itself beneficial when applied to other allergies like food allergy or skin hives.
Allergy shots
Allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy or sublingual drops, can be an effective treatment option for indoor allergies. Immunotherapy helps your immune system adapt to allergens so they no longer cause an immediate allergic response when exposed to them; over time it can reduce or eliminate allergy symptoms while decreasing medications usage and costs. Immunotherapy treatments tend to work best with people suffering from environmental allergens like dust mites, cockroaches, mold and pet dander allergies.
Immunotherapy for allergens requires an ongoing commitment, beginning with a build-up phase where your doctor gradually increases the allergen dose per shot, often necessitating weekly or biweekly office visits and visits from an allergist during that time period (depending on your allergy). Subsequently, maintenance involves receiving liquid allergen injections either weekly or monthly over several years – often starting as injections at first before switching over to injections later on.
At times during this process, you may experience local reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site. An antihistamine medication may help minimize this risk. Rarely, severe reactions such as low blood pressure or difficulty breathing (anaphylaxis) may occur; should this occur you will need an emergency epinephrine autoinjector prescribed by your physician in order to provide treatment immediately.
Home maintenance
Many allergy sufferers don’t realize that many of their symptoms are caused by allergens in their own home, including mold spores, dust mite droppings, animal dander, cockroach droppings and other indoor pollutants such as mold spores. Allergens such as these can contribute to itchy eyes, runny noses and congestion – as well as trigger asthma attacks in some instances. With just a few simple measures you can significantly decrease these allergens’ presence within the home and reduce its presence significantly.
Staying on top of regular cleaning is key to combatting indoor allergies. Vacuuming and dusting regularly – particularly under furniture – will reduce allergen levels within your home, particularly HEPA vacuums with special attachments designed to trap and remove as much dust from surfaces as possible.
Reducing allergy triggers at home is another effective strategy: swap out wall-to-wall carpeting for hard floors that are simpler to keep clean, use mite-proof cases on mattresses and pillows, wash bedding regularly with hot water to decrease dust mite count in the home and reduce allergy symptoms as a result.
Reduced humidity levels in the home can help control mold growth and other allergens. A dehumidifier or air conditioner are both great tools to do just this, while keeping windows and doors closed during pollen season can prevent outdoor allergens from entering through them.
Pediatric allergists
Pediatric allergists, a sub-specialty of immunologists, specialize in treating allergies and immune system disorders in children. Working closely with your child, they develop a treatment plan designed to return her back to her daily activities as soon as possible.
Allergies develop when your child’s immune system reacts inappropriately to substances normally harmless, such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, mold spores, insect stings, certain foods or medications and latex. This causes itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, sneezing, rashes, asthma and hives which may affect any part of their body including skin; nose; eyes; ears; lungs/respiratory tract and digestive system.
Children suffering from allergies may find it challenging to understand their symptoms, but they can learn to identify triggers and take measures to prevent an attack. For instance, keeping windows closed when pollen counts are highest and regularly cleaning and dusting surfaces in order to remove allergens is one way. They could also avoid outdoor activities and utilize a dehumidifier in the home as further preventive measures.
If avoiding allergens and taking medications does not relieve your child’s symptoms, a pediatric allergist may suggest oral or injection immunotherapy as an additional solution. Immunotherapy involves administering injections of various pollens, mold spores, animal dander and other allergens that your child is allergic to – over a period of months, this trains their immune system to tolerate them more easily.
Comments are closed