Indoor Allergens
- Indoor Allergens Overview
- Indoor Allergies Causes
- Indoor Allergies Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Indoor Allergies Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
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Indoor Allergens Overview
Most people with asthma or hay fever or other outdoor allergies think of their home as a haven where they can escape their allergies. Unfortunately, houses and apartment buildings harbor their own allergens (agents that cause allergy symptoms). The inside of your home actually traps allergens, making them impossible to avoid.
- Although many allergens in your environment can trigger allergic symptoms, house dust is the main culprit in indoor allergies. What is house dust?
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It varies depending on the type and age of your home, the temperature and
humidity in the home, what you keep in the home (everything from food to
clothes to furniture), and who lives in the home (human, pet animal, and
plant).
- Some dust is present in every home, regardless of how often or how thoroughly the house is cleaned.
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House dust is an airborne mixture that might contain fine particles of soil
and plant material from indoors or outdoors, particles of human and animal
skin (dander) and hair, fabric fibers, mold spores, dust mites, fragments of
insects that have died and their waste, food particles, and other debris.
- Although many substances in dust can trigger allergic symptoms, the most important indoor allergens are dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, and molds.
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It varies depending on the type and age of your home, the temperature and
humidity in the home, what you keep in the home (everything from food to
clothes to furniture), and who lives in the home (human, pet animal, and
plant).
- Unlike seasonal allergies such as hay fever, indoor allergies may last all year long. Indoor allergens may provoke or worsen asthma symptoms, depending on a person's unique sensitivities.
- Indoor allergies tend to be at their worst in the late summer, when dust mites are at their peaks.
- Allergy symptoms can actually be worse in the winter when the windows are closed and people are shut in with the allergens.
- Keeping your windows open at night during seasons of high outdoor pollen and mold count may worsen your allergy symptoms or asthma because these high-concentration outdoor allergens are allowed into your house to settle.
- If you are sensitive to indoor allergens, you will continue to have symptoms as long as you are exposed to your allergens.
- Sensitivity to indoor allergens is very common and occurs at every age. It is less common in children younger than 5 years. People most likely to experience allergic rhinitis are those in early school and early adult years.
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Indoor Allergens
Occupational Asthma Overview
Asthma is a chronic (long-term, ongoing) inflammation of the breathing passages (bronchi) of the lungs. The inflammation irritates the airway, causing breathing problems.
- Most people with asthma have sudden attacks or periods of bothersome or severe symptoms separated by periods of mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
- Asthma is an inflammatory reaction that is triggered by external factors or specific situations.
- When a person with asthma is exposed to one of his or her triggers, the inflammation worsens and symptoms ensue.
- The trigger generally is something inhaled.
- Occupational asthma can occur in almost any line of work or any work environment, includi...
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Indoor Aeroallergies »
John Bostock first described hay fever in 1819, but not until 1873 did Charles Blackley recognize that pollens cause this disease.
