The mite is a habitual inhabitant in any address and accumulates especially in rooms like dormitories. Bed mattresses are their ideal shelter. Tend to grow in numbers in times of high temperatures and places with high humidity levels. Mites have been responsible for household dust allergy since the late 1960s. The mite is one of the most common allergies causes today.
Symptoms of mite allergy include a runny nose, discharge, sneezing, and itching, or even episodes of bronchial asthma characterized by respiratory distress, coughing and wheezing, which can also produce eye itching and tearing. Avoiding exposure to dust mites is the best strategy to control this allergy. Although cannot eliminate them completely you can reduce their number to a large extent.
Characteristics of Mite
The mite is not visible to the human eye and reaches a few millimeters in length; thus, house dust mites measure between 0.2 and 0.5 mm. The mites belong to the oldest groups of terrestrial animals since they have found fossils that are more than 400 million years old. They are distributed all over the world, adapted to live in all the known means of the planet. Mites have been identified at altitudes ranging from 5,000 m above sea level to 4,000 m in depth.
This species is found in abundant quantities in coastal areas. The temperature range for its reproduction is very wide, it goes from 5º to -30ºC, although the optimum temperature is 25º C. You can also read Tapeworm
Some species have adapted to live in springs, enduring very well the intense heat of the thermal waters in volcanic regions, while others have done so in polar waters, tolerating extreme temperatures. Mites abound, especially in places of great vegetation, among decomposing waste products and in association with mosses and lichens.
In wooded areas, they can account for between 70 and 90% of the total soil population and play an essential role both in decomposition processes and in the integration of soil organic matter into the soil.
In addition, mites are commonly found in homes, especially in mattresses, pillows, and carpets. This high degree of diversity of habitats corresponds to an extremely high degree of variability of forms, sizes, structures, and behavior.
Symptoms
- Fecal particles produced by mites are the main source of allergens. Each mite can produce about 20 fecal particles daily with the capacity to cause allergic symptoms, even after the death of the mite.
- Recent studies have shown that to produce asthma
- Inflammation
- Bronchial hyperactivity
- Acute crises of rhinitis
- Asthma
- Sneezing in Salvo
- Itchy nose
- Nasal Drip
- Nasal congestion
- Cough
- Thoracic oppression
- Intolerance to exercise or laughter
- Atopic Dermatitis
- Anaphylaxis
Prevention & Treatment
Mites are natural inhabitants of our domestic environment and their presence does not mean a lack of cleanliness of the home. It is unclear whether environmental control can prevent mite allergy, and existing evidence suggests that primary prevention is not possible.
Studies show that the application of environmental control measures can be beneficial in the onset and severity of asthma. On the other hand, it does not appear to be very useful in preventing or delaying the appearance of mite sensitization.
It has been shown that the more intense the patient’s sensitization to mites. The more he will benefit from these environmental control measures, but in order to be effective, their application must be very strict.
Very effective measures:
- Remove carpets and all objects that accumulate dust from the bedroom.
- use anti-dust covers on the mattress and pillow
- The mattress and pillow should be vacuumed for 10 minutes once a month and exposed to the sun for 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a year
- Wash the sheets and blankets with warm water (at least 50 ° C) at least once a week.
- Regular cleaning of sofas, carpets and other areas of the house
- Periodically check the address and repair any moisture problems detected; reduce relative humidity throughout the house, or at least in the bedroom.
Measures of intermediate effectiveness: - Use of air filters to retain mite allergens, use of acaricides and air conditioning.
- There are now a number of medications that alleviate and control the annoying symptoms caused by this type of allergy.
- Also, incorrectly diagnosed patients, and depending on the evolution of their allergic symptoms, the allergist may also prescribe a treatment with hypersensitizing mite vaccines in order to integrally treat their underlying condition.
Conclusion
The mite is a tiny animal, which cannot be appreciated by the human eye, stings very strongly, and when seeing allergies in the nose or on the skin you must take measures to eliminate them. If symptoms do not improve within 3 to 6 months, they are severe so people need emergency treatments, you should probably attend an allergy specialist.
As A Reference: Wikipedia