Bed mites pictures, home bed mites pictures

Dust mites pictures, house dust mites pictures

Allergy testing

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Definition

Allergy tests are any of several tests used to determine the substances to which a person is allergic.

Alternative Names

Patch tests - allergy; Scratch tests - allergy; Skin tests - allergy; RAST test

Why the Allergy testing is Performed

Allergy tests are used to determine the specific substances that cause an allergic reaction in an individual.

They may also be used to determine if a group of symptoms is a true allergic reaction, which involves antibodies and histamine release. Some food intolerances, in which there is an inability to digest a food because of lack of appropriate enzymes, produce symptoms similar to allergies. Some drugs, such as aspirin, can cause allergy-like symptoms without the formation of antibodies or the release of histamine.

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Allergic rhinitis
• Angioedema
• Contact dermatitis
• Nasal obstruction

Read more - What Allergy testing results mean, normal result of Allergy testing.

Dust mite picture

Dust mite picture, home dust mites - The house dust mite (sometimes abbreviated by allergists to HDM), is a cosmopolitan guest in human habitation. Dust mites feed on organic detritus such as flakes of shed human skin and flourish in the stable environment of dwellings. In nature they are killed by micro-predators and by exposure to direct sun rays. Dust mites are considered to be the most common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide.

House dust allergy: ventilate in winter

People who are allergic to house dust should make sure their bedrooms are well ventilated in winter, says a German professor.

Heating homes in the cold winter months provides an ideal climate for dust mites to breed, according to Professor Thomas Fuchs of Germany's Professional Association of Allergists.

Lower temperatures and lower humidity levels in a home can reduce the mites' survival rate. It's also a good idea to remove any items that attract dust.

People with dust allergies often treat the symptoms with antihistamines. According to Germany's Association of Pharmacists most antihistamines can be bought over the counter without a doctor's prescription.

"But despite that, you should not take them without getting the advice of a doctor first," warns Fuchs. It's also important to conduct an allergy test before beginning treatment.

Antihistamines help in the short term but become less effective over time. Patients should only take antihistamines as part of a transition phase to the beginning of hypo-sensitisation.

Hypo-sensitisation is a form of therapy whereby the patient is gradually exposed to higher doses of the substance that causes the allergy.

Fuchs says hypo-sensitisation is the best form of treatment in the long term.

Resource

Dust mites, allergy...

House dust mites - Mite allergy?

Asthma and all-year allergy in the nose are so common, that we accept them as 'one of those things', particularly when the doctor tells us just to keep taking the medicine and not to bother about finding out whether an allergy could be the cause. But what if you could find out the cause? Could you do something about it and reduce or end your dependence on medicines?

The answer is not an easy one, but we think it is important for you if your asthma or nose allergy is caused by allergy.

Infantile eczema or its equivalent in older children and adults may get better in some cases through avoiding mites and their dust. There is other evidence that mites may be involved in causing it. In some people, especially younger children, food allergy may wholly or partly cause eczema. But we don't know as much about this area as we would like.