Indoor allergies

An allergy reaction happens when a person’s immune system is oversensitive and reacts to an allergen (something usually harmless in the environment) as if it were harmful. The body, thinking it’s a virus, starts producing antibodies to fight that allergen, which results in inflammatory reactions. In the case of respiratory allergies, the areas affected will be the nose, mouth, eyes, etc.

Hay fever is a very common type of respiratory allergy, which is seasonal and happens mostly when outdoors. If you experience allergy symptoms when you find yourself indoor, no matter the season, you probably suffer from a different type of allergy.

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In a house, there are different things that can cause allergy reactions:

Dust Mites

Dust Mites are present in all houses all year round, and are the most common indoor allergens. They cannot survive in extremely dry or cold conditions, but need warmth and humidity to spread, making UK homes an ideal environment for them.

They eat shed skin cells and proteins, and absorb water through their skin. They can be found in fabrics, carpets and furry toys, but are particularly prevalent in beds. These provide the perfect environment, as they are warm, filled with shed skin cells, and humid with sweat.

When you are allergic to dust mites, it is actually the mite droppings that your body is reacting to. These particles become airborne and so are easily inhaled. They settle quickly into our pillows, duvets, mattresses and other fabrics.

It is therefore very important for house dust allergy sufferers to regularly change their bed sheets, to avoid living in a house where the floor is covered in carpet and to use only special allergy-friendly bedding made of synthetic microfibers, which is now widely available.

Animal allergens

The next most frequent cause of allergies is animal dander. People colloquially refer to this type of allergy as "pet hair allergy", however strictly speaking it is not the hair but the dander consisting of tiny skin scales, dandruff, urine and saliva particles that the body actually reacts to.

The most common animal allergy is to cats, as they’re always licking their fur, and so the allergens get attached to it and are easily spread around the house when the animal loses its hair. This is closely followed by dogs; however some people are allergic to horses, rabbits and theoretically any kind of furry or feathered animal can be a cause of allergic reaction. Sometimes a particular animal will give more severe allergy symptoms than others, e.g. someone can be more allergic to a certain type of cat than to other ones.

Depending on the intensity of the allergic reaction, pet hair allergy can cause respiratory problems, itchy eyes, running or blocked nose, and sometimes even lead to skin irritation such as hives or eczema.

People suffering from animal allergies should try to avoid furry animals as much as possible, depending on the severity of their allergic reactions.

Mould spores

This type of allergy is actually quite common, but often unknown and overlooked. Moulds release tiny particles called spores, just like plants release pollen. These spores can easily be inhaled by our organism, much the same way as we inhale pollen.

Mould spores occur in damp and warm environments, and so are often found in bathrooms or kitchens, in places such as shower curtains, or under refrigerators, sinks, washing machines, etc.

The following symptoms can be triggered: sneezing attacks, runny nose, red eyes, and sometimes even skin rash, bronchitis or headaches.

Symptoms from mould allergy tend to get worse when the weather is warm and humid.

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How to diagnose and overcome allergies?

The first step in overcoming your allergies is to identify which allergen causes you to have allergic reactions.

In the case of indoor allergies, it can be difficult to diagnose what the patient is actually allergic to, as it could be a number of different factors. If the diagnostic is not straightforward, you should consult your GP, who will most likely do a skin prick test. This works by inserting an allergen into your bloodstream. If your body is allergic to it, the skin should start to get red, swollen and itchy.

The most common medical allergy management consists of antihistamine medicines. When your body is exposed to the allergen, it responds by releasing large amounts of histamine resulting in the typical allergy symptoms. Antihistamines block the release of histamines and this alleviates or inhibits symptoms. A variety of antihistamines can be bought over the counter, however some of the stronger ones must be prescribed by a doctor. A selection of powerful prescription-only antihistamines is now available at MyOnlineDoctor so you can manage your allergy symptoms effectively.

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