Is your home making you sick? The importance of testing for dust mites and pet allergies

20th September 2024

Is your home making you sick? The importance of testing for dust mites and pet allergies

Do you often find yourself sneezing, coughing, or experiencing itchy eyes in your own home? While it might seem like seasonal allergies or a mild cold, the real cause could be closer than you think. Household allergens like dust mites and pet dander are common triggers for these symptoms. Without knowing it, your home may be a hotspot for allergens.

Common household allergens

1. Dust mites
   Dust mites are tiny creatures that live in bedding, carpets, and furniture. They thrive in warm, humid environments and feed on dead skin cells. These mites are a leading cause of sneezing, coughing, and even asthma. Because they are so small, you won’t be able to see them. Testing for dust mite allergies is important as they are hard to avoid without knowing.
2. Pet dander
   If you have pets, you may be familiar with the sneezing and itchy eyes that come with pet allergies. Pet dander, tiny flakes of skin shed by animals, can linger in your home for long periods. It sticks to carpets, furniture, and even clothing. Testing for pet dander allergies can help you pinpoint whether your beloved pets are causing your symptoms.
3. House dust
   House dust is a mix of particles from dust mites, pollen, mould, and more. Because it contains so many different elements, it’s a common allergen. If your symptoms get worse when you’re in dusty areas, house dust could be the cause. Testing for this allergy helps you understand which specific allergens in the dust are affecting you.

Why testing matters

Testing for allergies is crucial because it helps you find the exact cause of your symptoms. Knowing whether dust mites, pet dander, or house dust are responsible allows you to take the right steps. For example, using allergen-proof bedding, regular vacuuming, and keeping pets out of certain rooms can make a huge difference. Without testing, it’s difficult to know what changes will help.

Managing allergies at home

Once you know your triggers, managing your allergies becomes easier. For dust mites, washing bedding regularly, using a dehumidifier, and vacuuming with a HEPA filter can help reduce symptoms. If you have pet allergies, keeping pets off furniture and out of bedrooms is a good first step. Regular grooming and cleaning can also reduce pet dander in your home.

Allergies can be a challenge to your daily life, but with the right diagnosis and management plan, they can be kept under control. Our experts specialise in identifying and treating adult allergies. If you suspect that household allergens are affecting your health, we can help you pinpoint the exact triggers and provide solutions to alleviate your symptoms. Why not register as a new patient or take one of our home allergy tests? Together, we can create a personalized plan to help you enjoy your home without the constant discomfort of allergies.

Do you have a cat allergy? This new vaccine could get rid of your symptoms

23rd October 2019

Do you have a cat allergy? This new vaccine could get rid of your symptoms

Pet allergies are common in the UK. It’s common in those who also have allergic asthma or hay fever. But new research is giving hope to people with a cat allergy. Scientists claim they have developed a vaccine which could get rid of your symptoms altogether. What’s interesting about the vaccine is that it isn’t for people – it’s for the cat.

How does the vaccine work?

The reason some people have allergic reactions to cats is their body is sensitive to a certain protein cats produce naturally. This protein is called Fel d 1. The scientists who developed the vaccine claim it works by encouraging the cat’s immune system to go after this protein – the allergen – to stop it being so prevalent and causing allergic reactions in people. 

This is a clever feat of modern science, where scientists attach a genetically modified version of the protein to a virus-like particle taken from a plant virus. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean it will infect your cat. It’s a plant virus, so it can’t, and it’s just a virus particle as opposed to a full, live virus. 

No more symptoms

If the vaccine is successful, it would essentially create hypoallergenic cats. This is excellent news for those who have missed out on the companionship of a pet due to their allergies. A cat allergy commonly presents symptoms including itchy eyes, swollen eyes, blotchy skin, sneezing, coughing and wheezing, hives and rashes, or a runny and stuffy nose. If the vaccine works, people with allergies can say goodbye to these symptoms and also reduce their risk of developing chronic illnesses like asthma.  

When can you get the vaccine?

However, the vaccine isn’t available just yet. Researchers are still going ahead with registration studies and discussions with European and US regulators before they can bring the vaccine to market. They say it aims to help both people and cats. 

Cat owners could reduce their symptoms while there could also be a drop in the number of cats ending up in shelters or on the streets from owners who didn’t realise they had a cat allergy. Still, the team hopes the vaccine might be available within the next three months. 

If you’re suffering from a pet allergy, or if you’re not quite sure what’s causing your symptoms, it’s time to get in touch with our consultants. At the London Allergy and Immunology Centre, we can find out what’s causing your symptoms with a simple test and give you the right treatments to solve your problems. Book an appointment today.

Pet allergies: do I have a cat allergy?

21st February 2018

Pet allergies: do I have a cat allergy?

Did you know that in the UK pets are the second most common cause of allergies? The biggest culprit is our feline friend; the housecat. In fact, the number of people who have a cat allergy is significantly higher than any other pet allergy.

This probably doesn’t come as much as a surprise to you. But a little-known fact is that the primary allergen actually isn’t in the cat’s fur. It is found in a protein known as Fel d 1 (a uteroglobin-like protein).

Cat facts

There are other characterised allergens in cats that people can be allergic to: Fel d 2, serum albumin, Fel d 3, cystatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor, Fel d 4, a Lipocalin, Fel d 5, Fel d 6, Fel d 7.

Fel D 1 is found in their urine, saliva, and dander (dry skin). You’re more likely to see a higher concentration of this in unneutered male cats due to testosterone secretions.

Like velcro, Fel D 1 attaches itself to human’s clothes, and it is easily transferable. Because of this, it’s possible to trigger your cat allergy from being in contact with a cat owner, or someone else who has recently been near cats. The allergen is so small that it can remain in the air for hours, and it can be easily breathed directly into the lungs. You can get certain breeds that make it less likely to trigger symptoms though.

Individuals suffering from allergies have developed sensitisation – state of an immune system that preserves an innocent protein (allergen) as a foreign body (parasite) – a potential threat and is trying to fight it with all its might. The symptoms you get are the side effects of your body attacking the allergen with the aim to prevent it from harming your system.

The cat’s pyjamas

The symptoms can appear only a few minutes after being in contact with the allergen. In some cases, it might take even hours to appear. Up to 30% of people who have allergic asthma can feel severe intensifications of their problems after contact with Fel D 1.

Usually, the symptoms are very evident after being in contact with a cat. These usually appear in the following forms:

• Itchy, runny, or blocked nose
• Red, itchy eyes
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Hives or a rash in the area of the face and neck when in contact with the saliva
• Redness of the skin after feline contact or if you get a scratch

It’s easy to confuse a cat allergy with an allergic reaction to dust and so it is vital that before getting any treatment a consultant detects the exact allergen that is responsible for your symptoms. This can help not only to use treatment to reduce the symptoms but in many cases allows to conduct the treatment that can influence the cause of allergy – immunotherapy. So if you want pets, you don’t necessarily have to suffer.

There are several types of tests that to determine whether you are allergic to cat’s dander. Book an appointment with one of our specialists today to arrange a suitable screening for the cause of your symptoms.