The term "home allergy" usually considered different manifestations of allergy appear in response to the usual factors surrounding a person in everyday life: home, house, apartment.
Home Library and dust, household chemical substances, dry food aquarium fish, wool, feathers, and the epidermis of animals and birds and a number of other major factors that cause the development of household allergies.
The most common cause of allergies is the house dust . If it is seen under a microscope, you can see that it consists of human hair and dandruff, lint, carpet fluff pillows and featherbeds, books, fine particles of clothing, molds, wool and dried saliva pets particles insects ( cockroaches, bedbugs, bugs , etc.).
Any of these components can cause allergies. However, a decisive role in shaping household allergies play mikrokleschey that are in house dust .
Insects kind Dermatofagoides visible only under a microscope. They are in every home around the world. The main habitat of these mites - this person bed. It is here that the best conditions for their reproduction: high humidity and temperature . Mites do not bite human , they feed on exfoliated epithelium and dust particles. Multiply profusely in bed, especially in the autumn-winter period (up to 2500 mites in one gram of dust ), mites can settle throughout the apartment and found in large quantities in the bed linen and clothes, carpets, shoes in the home, under baseboards, soft toys and etc. Allergy chitinous integument and isolating mites. Found that at temperatures below -18 degrees mites die within 24 hours, but the allergenicity of particles of dead mites and their excrement is stored for months or even years.
Household chemical substances can cause allergies in different ways. Most of them are irritating ( irritant ) to the respiratory tract .so
action the ink solvents, chlorine, perfumes and cosmetics items, and many others. Some of them, such as washing powders enzymes, allergens may be present and cause an allergic reaction by the inclusion of immune mechanisms. Irritant effect have as many sharp -smelling foods essential oils.
A special place in the development of allergic manifestations home has passive smoking . It is known that the presence of a smoking family member ( when smoking in the apartment) increases the risk of asthma by 2-4 times. Smoke itself is not an allergen , but it weakens the protective functions of the airway mucosa, promotes easier penetration of allergens has irritant effect.
In the event of household allergies play a major role frequent colds , especially viral. During colds damaged
airway mucosa, which facilitates the penetration of inhaled epidermal and household allergens in the body , ie promotes allergies.
Home allergy occurs not at all, but only those who are predisposed to the development of allergic diseases. Hereditary predisposition to allergy mechanisms are complex and still not fully defined . Inherited rather than a specific disease , such as asthma or allergic rhinitis, as a mechanism of allergy. Ill a person having a predisposition to allergy and how exactly the disease will depend on its living conditions , diet and many other variety of factors. Therefore, children with a predisposition to allergies is very important from the first days of life and even during the mother's pregnancy to create conditions that shield from the action of different allergens.
The main way of household penetration of allergens in the human body - inhalation, ie through the respiratory tract . Therefore, the most common manifestations of household allergies are respiratory diseases, the so-called respiratory allergies - is allergic rhinitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis. One of the most severe forms of household allergies - asthma, which in 80-90% of cases associated with the action of this group of allergens. Less common household allergy manifests as skin lesions - a variety of rashes accompanied by intense itching.
Home allergy is extremely diverse in presentation , but to recognize it can be very difficult. Visible manifestations of respiratory allergies , especially in the early stages , are not much different from acute
respiratory infections (ARI ). As a result, people miss the early phase of the disease, and gradually formed a bronchial asthma, which tends to weighting and progression.
Availability of household allergies can be seen at the following important attributes: departure from his apartment ( in medicine - " elimination " ) is accompanied by a decrease in " colds ", the disappearance of coughing and shortness of breath , decreased skin rashes, etc. and return home (" provocation " ) accompanied by a worsening of the characteristic of the disease ( chronic runny nose , persistent acute respiratory infections, frequent cough, " whistle ", suffocation, etc.). Allergen elimination / provocation becomes an important characteristic of a diagnosis in the case of two - three-time repetition.
Avoid progression of household allergies helps create hypoallergenic life.
These are the conditions under which the amount of impact and household allergens minimized. To do this, follow these tips:
1. As possible to unload the room or even an entire apartment of unnecessary things that can collect dust: curtains , carpets, animal skins, etc.
2 . Recieve daily wet cleaning.
3 . When cleaning apartments conventional vacuum cleaner patient should not be present. It is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner.
4 . Wooden parquet flooring and need to cut varnish.
5 . Should not keep in the house animals or birds. Allergy intensity does not depend on the length of the animal wool. There is no non-allergenic animals.
6. Ventilate the apartment , watch the freshness of the air at night. Use air purifying filter.
7. Keep books, linens, clothing in closed cabinets.
8. The patient does not come into contact with substances of household chemistry ( cleaning products, laundry detergents, paints for repair of an apartment , etc.).
9. Do not keep houseplants poomu that pots are breeding grounds for mold , and this is a source of fungal allergens.
10 . Make sure that the house was not dampen stains on the ceiling, on the walls. Can not be covered with linoleum floor in the toilet , bath, kitchen, ie in places where there may be moisture accumulation . In such circumstances developing fungi.
The author -
Inna Zhavoronkova ,
physician allergist-immunologist clinic «Dixion»