Home allergies are typically caused by mold, dust mites, pets, cockroaches and everyday products like soap. These irritants can trigger watery eyes, itching, sneezing congestion and coughing symptoms in people. Allergy medications and cleaning routine changes may help relieve these allergies.
Find an allergy specialist in your area for allergy testing and prescription options, including running dehumidifiers in damp areas to reduce allergens in the home. They may suggest ways to decrease allergen exposure such as using dehumidifiers as one way of mitigating them.
Dust mites
Dust mites, closely related to ticks and spiders, thrive in warm and humid environments. These tiny pests feed on dead skin cells shed by humans and are typically found in bedding, mattresses, pillows, upholstery furniture and carpeting. Breathing in their droppings or body fragments may trigger allergies or asthma symptoms in those sensitive.
Common symptoms may include sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and itchy skin. More serious reactions could result in wheezing, difficulty breathing and persistent cough. On rare occasions, a rash may also appear.
Allergy tests can help your healthcare provider identify whether you are sensitive to dust mites. A thin needle (about the size of a pencil tip) will be used to draw blood samples from your arm, which are then processed through a laboratory with dust mite proteins and measured for antibodies; high levels indicate allergy.
Controlling dust mites in your home is key to combating allergies and asthma. Wash all bedding in hot, 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit water to kill dust mites once per week; replace wool or feathered pillows and stuffed animals with synthetic ones; vacuum regularly, but avoid doing it right before bed as that releases allergens into the air; switch out wall-to-wall carpeting for bare floors, and make use of double-layered microfilter bags or HEPA filters on your vacuum cleaner for maximum effectiveness.
Mold
Molds are small fungi that flourish in environments with ample moisture, producing tiny spores which people inhale and which may trigger allergic reactions in some. Their foreignness triggers antibodies (especially IgE) produced by our immune systems to defend ourselves against them; when inhaled, these spores can trigger chain reactions resulting in symptoms like sneezing, itching and runny nose among others.
Mold spores not only contain allergens but also irritants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can aggravate eyes, nose and throat tissues. Some individuals develop severe reactions to mold spores; an allergy known as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis has even been documented that can result in wheezing chest tightening similar to asthma symptoms.
Your doctor can conduct a skin test to diagnose mold allergies. In this test, small extracts of various kinds of mold will be placed on your skin and then pricked with needles; if you are sensitive, this will cause reddening and swelling around the pricked spot; this information will be combined with factors like your family history of allergies, physical exam and medical history, home/work environments that contain mold exposure as well as activities which expose you to it in making their diagnosis. They may also recommend an IgE antibody level blood test which provides allergy screening capabilities as part of their diagnosis process.
Pets
Pets can trigger indoor allergies in sensitive people. Most often this comes from saliva, dander (dead skin flakes) and urine of animals with fur, although many mistakenly believe there are “hypoallergenic” cat and dog breeds available that won’t trigger reactions; symptoms usually begin within minutes after exposure and peak within 8-12 hours; this also applies to birds, rodents and ferrets!
If your runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing symptoms persist year-round and do not respond to antihistamines, they could be signs that you have indoor allergies to pet dander, dust mites, mold spores or cockroaches. Luckily, steps can be taken to limit exposure.
Keep pets out of bedrooms and other areas where you sleep to reduce exposure to pet dander, regularly vacuum, sweep and dust surfaces to eliminate dust mites and other particles that could irritate respiratory system, or consider getting an allergy-friendly dog or cat as pets if possible. Grooming pets regularly will help reduce the amount of dander they shed. Furless animals such as fish, birds and reptiles also tend to shed less than hairy ones. If you suffer from indoor allergies, consult with your doctor about diagnostic testing to identify its source and provide treatment. Your options for diagnosing allergens include taking either a skin test, which involves placing small amounts of the allergen onto your skin and pricking it, or immunotherapy treatments, which involve gradually increasing doses of substances you’re sensitive to over time.
Smoke
Smoke from tobacco products, cigars and vaporizers as well as marijuana and scented candles can cause allergic reactions and contain other pollutants harmful to health, such as nicotine and cancer-causing formaldehyde and naphthalene chemicals that remain on surfaces even after smoking has stopped. Furthermore, invisible fine particles released by these products can lodge deep within your lungs, leading to irritation and damage – irritating your nose, throat and eyes and making breathing hard or wheezing hard – even entering bloodstream and having adverse affect on heart.
As soon as you breathe in smoke, your cells cannot get enough oxygen and your body produces extra phlegm to clear sinuses and trap smoke particles in your throat. Most healthy people will recover when moving away from the source of smoke; however, infants and young children, people over 65, smokers and those suffering from lung or heart conditions are particularly sensitive.
Researchers have also observed a link between secondhand smoke exposure and peanut and egg allergies among children, as well as babies living in households where there was smoking, and later developing these allergies than in nonsmoking homes. In particular, babies exposed to more smoke were more likely to develop these food sensitivities than their counterparts who lived non-smoking environments.
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