1. What is a dust mite? Dust mite is a parasite invisible to the naked eye that lives mainly on dusty, damp furniture, carpets and beds, feeding on human or animal dander. It is the leading indoor allergen worldwide, and about 80% of rhinitis, asthma, and allergic dermatitis are related to dust mites. 2. What environment do dust mites need to grow? The ideal environment for dust mites is 25°C and 75% humidity. In the Northeast, the indoor temperature is higher in winter because of heating, and some homes have humidifiers on, so it is very suitable for dust mites to grow. You can use high-performance dehumidifiers and air conditioners or open windows to reduce indoor relative humidity, and controlling indoor relative humidity below 50% can effectively inhibit dust mite reproduction. 3.Some people think their home environment is very clean, will there be dust mites? Dust mites are generally only 100-400 microns in size and are difficult to see with the naked eye. Dust mites are commonly found in our living environment. For example, dust mites can be found in pillows, bedding, carpets, curtains, fabric sofas, air conditioning filters, closets, clothing, and even flour that has been put away for a long time. 4.How do dust mites cause allergic diseases? Dust mites cause allergic diseases not because they crawl into the body, but because their bodies, feces, secretions, eggs and shed skin are inhaled into the human respiratory tract or come into contact with the skin with the floating dust. 5.What are the main common allergic diseases caused by dust mites? Common diseases caused by dust mite allergy include: allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, etc. There have also been cases of allergy due to ingestion of flour contaminated with dust mites. 6. What should I pay attention to in home decoration for dust mite allergy sufferers? Carpets, curtains and home decorations accumulate debris debris and moisture, providing an ideal habitat for dust mites to multiply. In humid areas, carpets should be replaced with hard flooring; similarly, curtains should be replaced with blinds; thick pile home décor fabrics should be replaced with vinyl or leather products; fabric sofas should be replaced with leather sofas; and furniture should be made of more wood. 7. How should the bedroom of dust mite allergy patients be arranged? The bedroom of dust mite allergy sufferers should preferably face the sun, and the windows should be opened frequently to keep the air fresh. The indoor temperature and humidity should not be too high. 8. How should families with dust mite allergy sufferers clean their home furnishings? It is recommended to throw away the old mattresses used for many years (there may be a large number of dust mite carcasses), new mattresses do not remove the outside of the plastic packaging cover (plastic packaging can prevent dust mites in and out of the mattress), the mattress on the thin bedding easy to clean, wash weekly with ≥ 55 ℃ hot water. Pillows are recommended to use buckwheat hulls as fillers, regularly removed and scalded with boiling water to kill dust mites and then dried. Small items (such as plush toys, special clothing, etc.) can be frozen in the refrigerator. In the northeast, the above items can be placed directly outdoors in winter, and then cleaned after 24 hours to remove dead mites. 9.Can I use vacuum cleaner, air purifier or chemical mite killing agent to remove mites? Vacuum cleaners can be used, but care should be taken to replace the vacuum cleaner bags frequently, and the vacuum cleaner bags should be double-layer or high-performance air filters to avoid the formation of aerosols from allergens during the vacuuming process. Conventional vacuuming removes mites and allergens from the surface of items, but does not significantly reduce the number of live mites or remove deeply embedded allergens. Steam cleaning of carpets, if hot enough, can kill mites and can remove surface allergens. However, steam cleaning has a limited depth of penetration into carpets and cannot reach the deeper layers of carpet pads or home furnishing fabrics, where large numbers of mites are present. In fact, steam cleaning can leave a lot of moisture in these areas to promote mite growth, creating a counterproductive effect. The use of air purifiers for mite removal is not recommended because mite allergens are primarily associated with dust particles larger than 20 microns in diameter. These particles become airborne when airflow appears disturbed, however, they quickly settle down again. Therefore, air cleaning or filtration in a room without air disturbance does little to capture mite allergens. The key issue in using chemical agents indoors is the safety of the agents, and the application of chemical acaricides indoors should be reduced as much as possible. 10. If dust mite allergy is severe, how should it be treated? Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is preferred for allergic diseases caused by dust mites. This method uses subcutaneous injections of standardized dust mite allergens in gradually increasing doses to improve the patient’s tolerance to the dust mite allergen, resulting in reduced or even no symptoms after re-exposure to the dust mite allergen. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only treatment published by the World Health Organization (WHO) that targets the cause and can effectively interrupt the natural course of allergic diseases. It can effectively control the symptoms of rhinitis and asthma, prevent the progression of allergic rhinitis to asthma, prevent the worsening of asthma symptoms, reduce new allergens, and get rid of hormonal drug dependence.