[Medical Q&A] What kind of serious harm can tiny dust mites cause?

Author: Wang Ling Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University

Reviewer: Niu Chao, deputy chief physician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University

Parents, do your children always sneeze, have a runny nose, pick their noses, or rub their eyes for no reason regardless of the season? Do they have recurring coughs, wheezing, rashes, itchy skin... If your baby has any of the above reactions, you need to pay attention, because your baby may be allergic to dust mites!

Although dust mites do not bite people, their corpses, secretions and excrement (feces), shed skin shells, saliva and glandular secretions are all allergens, of which feces is the strongest allergen. These allergen particles are tiny (10-40μm), suspended in the air, and can enter the airway with breathing, causing respiratory allergic reactions, generally manifested as allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis, etc., and symptoms such as itchy eyes, red eyes, tears, nasal congestion, nasal itching, runny nose, sneezing, etc. can also develop into nasal polyps and even induce asthma attacks.

In addition, the protease in dust mite feces can destroy the barrier function of the skin and cause atopic dermatitis, resulting in erythema, acne or eczema. The skin desquamation caused by eczema provides food for dust mites, which increases the number of dust mites, causing a vicious cycle of more itching and more scratching.