Allergy to dust mites: treatment
If a dust mite allergy is confirmed , treatment should be started as soon as possible. The most important measure is to avoid contact with allergens as much as possible . Anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory drugs are available to relieve acute symptoms . Causal treatment is also possible , using specific allergen immunotherapy ( SAIT ).
Avoiding allergens
Acute allergic problems can be significantly reduced by appropriate preventive measures. You can find more detailed information in the article Allergy to dust mites : prevention .
How is medical treatment carried out?
Anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to alleviate acute allergic symptoms ( symptomatic treatment ). However, the underlying disease will not improve. Causal allergy treatment, specifically specific allergen immunotherapy ( SAIT ), is used to achieve sustained treatment success .
Symptomatic treatment
Avoiding allergens is always the most effective way to treat allergies. However, in the case of a dust mite allergy, this is not always possible with sufficient efficiency, unlike other allergens (e.g. in case of an allergy to animal fur ). In cases where avoidance of allergens is not possible or not sufficient, anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory drugs help relieve symptoms. Antihistamines block allergic reactions in the body, thus mainly preventing itching, sneezing and runny nose . These drugs exist in the form of nasal sprays, eye drops, gels, syrups or tablets. New, modern, effective drugs can also be administered to children. They should be taken in the evening, before going to bed. For more severe symptoms, corticosteroids ( cortisone ) are used for local application in the nose. In allergic asthma, corticosteroids are inhaled in combination with beta-sympathomimetics .
Specific Allergen Immunotherapy (SAIT)
In so-called specific allergen immunotherapy (SAIT), the immune system is specifically “trained” to learn that allergens are not dangerous. For this purpose, the allergic person is given “his” trigger in gradually increasing doses. The goal of SAIT is to restore the immune system to its natural balance. Treatment takes approximately three to five years and the chance of success for dust mite allergy is 80 to 90 percent. There are two ways of administering allergen extracts :
- Sublingual immunotherapy ( SLIT ): Dust mite allergens are given as tablets or drops under the tongue once a day, throughout the year. This type of treatment is a prescription but can be done at home. Side effects may include itching of the tongue and palate and slight swelling of the mucous membranes ; sometimes even more serious side effects in the upper part of the digestive tract appear, such as an increase in gastroesophageal reflux . However, these problems often improve after only one year of treatment.
- Subcutaneous immunotherapy ( SCIT ): The doctor injects allergens into the upper arm. Injections with a gradually increasing concentration of allergens are administered to the patient every week. Once a maintenance dose is reached after several weeks, the patient receives an injection of this dose once a month. After the application of each such injection, the patient must remain in the doctor’s waiting room for at least 30 minutes, because with this form of treatment, an intensified reaction to anaphylactic shock can occur(the probability of occurrence is 1:20,000). In addition, the patient should not consume alcohol and avoid heavy physical exertion on the days of subcutaneous immunotherapy
Who can I contact?
Allergists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies in general (i.e. not just allergies to dust mites) . If necessary, your general practitioner will issue you an application .
