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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Dust mites eat skin cells people have shed, and rather than drinking water, they absorb water from humidity in the atmosphere. They thrive in temperatures between 65 and 84 F (18.5 and 29 C) and a relative humidity higher than 50 percent.
House dust is easily trapped in the fibers of bed linens, furniture cushions and carpeting. These materials also hold moisture well. Consequently, bedrooms are ideal habitats for dust mites.
Dust also contains the feces and decaying bodies of dust mites, and it's the proteins present in this dust mite "debris" that are the culprit in dust mite allergy.
What causes the allergic reaction
Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance such as pollen, pet dander or dust mites.
Your immune system produces proteins known as antibodies. Some of these antibodies protect you from unwanted invaders that could make you sick or cause an infection. When you have allergies, your immune system makes antibodies that identify your particular allergen as something harmful, even though it isn't. When you inhale the allergen or come into contact with it, your immune system responds and produces an inflammatory response in your nasal passages or lungs. Prolonged or regular exposure to the allergen can cause the ongoing (chronic) inflammation associated with asthma.
- Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Mosby Elsevier;2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1678-8..00062-3&isbn=978-1-4377-1678-8&sid=1411680414&uniqId=403732597-9#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1678-8..00062-3--s0040. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Reisacher WR. Allergy treatment: Environmental control strategies. Otolaryngology Clinics of North America. 2011;44:711.
- Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2013. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- House dust allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies/Types/dust-allergy-information/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Dust mites and dust. American Lung Association. http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/home/resources/dust-mites-and-dust.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Rhinitis. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/allergies/rhinitis.aspx. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Is it a cold or an allergy? National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/allergicDiseases/Documents/coldallergy.pdf. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Platts-Mills TA. Allergen avoidance in the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Feb. 22, 2013.
- Caubet JC. Allergic triggers in atopic dermatitis. Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America. 2010;30:289.
- Tips to remember: Allergy testing. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatisallergytesting.stm. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- AAAAI allergy and asthma drug guide. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/treatments/drug-guide.aspx. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Is rinsing your sinuses safe? U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm316375.htm. Accessed Feb. 23, 2013.
- Montelukast. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Feb. 25, 2013.
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