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Mold allergy |
Mold
allergy
Overview
If you have a mold allergy, your immune system
overreacts when you breathe in mold spores. A mold allergy can cause coughing,
itchy eyes and other symptoms that make you miserable. In some people, a mold
allergy is linked to asthma and exposure causes restricted breathing and other
airway symptoms.
If you have a mold allergy, the best defense
is to reduce your exposure to the types of mold that cause your reaction.
Medications can help keep mold allergy reactions under control.
Symptoms
A mold allergy causes the same signs and
symptoms that occur in other types of upper respiratory allergies. Signs and
symptoms of allergic rhinitis caused by a mold allergy can include:
·
Sneezing
·
Runny or stuffy nose
·
Cough and postnasal
drip
·
Itchy eyes, nose and
throat
·
Watery eyes
·
Dry, scaly skin
Mold allergy symptoms vary from person to
person and range from mild to severe. You might have year-round symptoms or
symptoms that flare up only during certain times of the year. You might notice
symptoms when the weather is damp or when you're in indoor or outdoor spaces
that have high concentrations of mold.
Mold allergy and
asthma
If you have a mold allergy and asthma, your
asthma symptoms can be triggered by exposure to mold spores. In some people,
exposure to certain molds can cause a severe asthma attack. Signs and symptoms
of asthma include:
·
Coughing
·
Wheezing
·
Shortness of breath
·
Chest tightness
When to see a doctor
If you have a stuffy nose, sneezing, watery
eyes, shortness of breath, wheezing or other bothersome symptoms that persist,
see your doctor.
Causes
Like any allergy, mold allergy symptoms are
triggered by an overly sensitive immune system response. When you inhale tiny,
airborne mold spores, your body recognizes them as foreign invaders and develops
allergy-causing antibodies to fight them.
Exposure to mold spores can cause a reaction
right away, or the reaction can be delayed.
Various molds are common indoors and outdoors.
Only certain kinds of mold cause allergies. Being allergic to one type of mold
doesn't mean you'll be allergic to another. Some of the most common molds that
cause allergies include alternaria, aspergillus, cladosporium and penicillium.
Risk factors
A number of factors can make you more likely
to develop a mold allergy or worsen your mold allergy symptoms, including:
·
Having
a family history of allergies. If allergies and asthma run in your family, you're more
likely to develop a mold allergy.
·
Working
in an occupation that exposes you to mold. Occupations where mold exposure can be high include
farming, dairy work, logging, baking, millwork, carpentry, greenhouse work,
winemaking and furniture repair.
·
Living
in a house with high humidity. Having indoor humidity higher than 50% can increase mold
in your home.
Mold can grow virtually anywhere if the conditions are right —
in basements, behind walls in framing, on soap-coated grout and other damp
surfaces, in carpet pads, and in the carpet itself. Exposure to high levels of
household mold can trigger mold allergy symptoms.
·
Working
or living in a building that's been exposed to excess moisture. Examples include leaky pipes, water
seepage during rainstorms and flood damage. At some point, nearly every
building has some kind of excessive moisture, which can encourage mold growth.
·
Living
in a house with poor ventilation. Tight window and door seals can trap moisture indoors and
prevent proper ventilation, creating ideal conditions for mold growth. Damp
areas — such as bathrooms, kitchens and basements — are most vulnerable.
Complications
Most allergic responses to mold involve hay
fever-type symptoms that can make you miserable but aren't serious. However,
certain allergic conditions caused by mold are more severe. These include:
·
Mold-induced
asthma. In people
allergic to mold, breathing in spores can trigger an asthma flare-up. If you
have a mold allergy and asthma, be sure that you have an emergency plan in case
of a severe asthma attack.
·
Allergic
fungal sinusitis. This results
from an inflammatory reaction to fungus in the sinuses.
·
Allergic
bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. This reaction to fungus in the lungs can occur in people
with asthma or cystic fibrosis.
·
Hypersensitivity
pneumonitis. This rare
condition occurs when exposure to airborne particles such as mold spores causes
lung inflammation. It can be triggered by exposure to allergy-causing dust at
work.
Other problems caused
by mold
Besides allergens, mold can pose other health
risks to susceptible people. For example, mold can cause infections of the skin
or mucous membranes. Generally, however, mold doesn't cause systemic infections
except for people with impaired immune systems, such as those who have HIV/AIDS
or who are taking immunosuppressant medication.
Prevention
To reduce mold growth in your home, consider
these tips:
·
Eliminate
sources of dampness in basements, such as pipe leaks or groundwater seepage.
·
Use
a dehumidifier in any area of
your home that smells musty or damp. Keep your humidity levels below 50%.
Remember to clean the collection bucket and condensation coils regularly.
·
Use
an air conditioner and consider
installing central air conditioning with a high-efficiency particulate air
(HEPA) filter attachment. The HEPA filter can trap mold spores from outdoor air
before they're circulated inside your home.
·
Change
filters on your furnace and
air conditioners regularly. Have forced air heating ducts inspected and, if
necessary, cleaned.
·
Be
sure all bathrooms are properly ventilated, and run the ventilation fan during a shower or bath and
immediately after to dry the air. If you don't have a ventilation fan, open a
window or door while you're showering or bathing.
·
Don't
carpet bathrooms and basements.
·
Promote
groundwater drainage away from your
house by removing leaves and vegetation from around the foundation and cleaning
out rain gutters frequently. Make sure the ground slopes away from the
foundation.
·
Keep
organic plant containers clean and dry, such as those made of straw, wicker or hemp.
·
Toss
or recycle old books and newspapers. If left in damp places, such as basements, they can
quickly become moldy.
Diagnosis
Besides considering your signs and symptoms,
your doctor might conduct a physical examination to identify or exclude other
medical problems. Tests used to identify an allergy include:
·
Skin
prick test. This test uses
diluted amounts of common or suspected allergens, such as molds found in the
local area. During the test, these substances are applied to the skin of your
arm or back with tiny punctures. If you're allergic, you develop a raised bump
(hive) at the test location on your skin.
·
Blood
test. A blood test,
sometimes called the radioallergosorbent test, can measure your immune system's
response to mold by measuring the amount of certain antibodies in your
bloodstream known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. A blood sample is sent
to a medical laboratory, where it can be tested for evidence of sensitivity to
specific types of mold.
Treatment
The best way to manage an allergy is to avoid
exposure to triggers. However, molds are common, and you can't completely avoid
them.
While there's no sure way to cure allergic
rhinitis caused by a mold allergy, a number of medications can ease your
symptoms. These include:
·
Nasal
corticosteroids. These nasal
sprays help prevent and treat the inflammation caused by an upper respiratory
mold allergy. For many people, they're the most effective allergy medications,
and they're often the first medication prescribed.
Examples include ciclesonide (Omnaris, Zetonna), fluticasone
(Flonase Allergy Relief, Xhance), mometasone (Nasonex), triamcinolone and
budesonide (Rhinocort). Nosebleeds and nasal dryness are the most common side
effects of these medications, which are generally safe for long-term use.
·
Antihistamines. These medications can help with itching,
sneezing and runny nose. They work by blocking histamine, an inflammatory
chemical released by your immune system during an allergic reaction.
Over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines include loratadine
(Alavert, Claritin), fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy) and cetirizine (Zyrtec
Allergy). They cause little to no drowsiness or dry mouth.
The nasal sprays azelastine (Astelin, Astepro) and olopatadine
(Patanase) are available by prescription. Side effects of the nasal sprays can
include a bitter taste in your mouth and nasal dryness.
·
Oral
decongestants. OTC oral
decongestants, such as Sudafed 12 Hour and Drixoral Cold and Allergy, can raise
blood pressure, so avoid them if you have high blood pressure (hypertension).
Other possible side effects include insomnia, loss of appetite, heart pounding
(palpitations), anxiety and restlessness.
·
Decongestant
nasal sprays. These include
oxymetazoline (Afrin, others). Don't use these medications for more than three
or four days, as they can cause congestion to come back with worse symptoms when
you stop using them. Other possible side effects include headaches, insomnia
and nervousness.
·
Montelukast. Montelukast (Singulair) is a tablet
taken to block the action of leukotrienes — immune system chemicals that cause
allergy symptoms such as excess mucus. However, concerns about side effects,
including anxiety, insomnia, depression and suicidal thinking, are increasing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently put a warning on the box about
the drug's use.
Like antihistamines, this medication is not as effective as
inhaled corticosteroids. It has been used when nasal sprays cannot be tolerated
or when mild asthma is present.
Other treatments for mold allergy include:
·
Immunotherapy. This treatment — a series of allergy
shots — can be very effective for some allergies, such as hay fever. Allergy
shots are used for only certain types of mold allergy.
·
Nasal
lavage. To help with
irritating nasal symptoms, your doctor might recommend that you rinse your nose
daily with salt water. Use a specially designed squeeze bottle, such as the one
included in saline kits (Sinus Rinse, others), bulb syringe or neti pot to irrigate
your nasal passages. This home remedy, called nasal lavage, can help keep your
nose free of irritants.
Use water that's distilled, sterile, previously boiled and
cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or
smaller to make up the irrigation solution. Be sure to rinse the irrigation
device after each use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and
cooled, or filtered water and leave open to air-dry.
Lifestyle and home
remedies
To keep mold allergy symptoms at bay, take
these measures:
·
Sleep
with your windows closed to
keep out outdoor mold. The concentration of airborne mold spores tends to be
greatest at night, when the weather is cool and damp.
·
Keep
indoor humidity below 50% and correct any moisture or water damage in the home. You can measure relative humidity with a
small moisture meter, available at many hardware stores.
·
Wear
a dust mask over your nose
and mouth to keep mold spores out if you have to rake leaves, mow your lawn or
work around compost.
·
Avoid
going outdoors at certain times, such as immediately after a rainstorm, in foggy or damp
weather, or when the published mold count is high.
Preparing for your
appointment
Many people are diagnosed and treated for
allergies by their primary care physicians. However, depending on the severity
of your allergies, your primary care doctor might refer you to a doctor who
specializes in treating allergies.
Here's some information to help you get ready
for your appointment.
What you can do
·
Ask
if there are any pre-appointment restrictions when making your appointment. For example, if you're
having allergy tests, your doctor will likely want you to stop taking allergy
medications for several days before the test.
·
Write
down your symptoms, as well as where
you were and what you were doing when the symptoms started.
·
List
all the medications, vitamins or other supplements you take, including doses.
·
Write
down questions for your doctor.
For a mold allergy, some questions you might
want to ask include:
·
What do you think is
causing these symptoms?
·
Are there tests
available that can confirm a specific allergy? Do I need to prepare for these
tests?
·
How can I treat a mold
allergy?
·
What side effects can
I expect from allergy medications?
·
How can I get mold out
of my home?
·
I have another health
condition. How can I best manage these conditions together?
·
Do you have brochures
or other printed materials I can have? What websites do you recommend?
What to expect from
your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you questions,
such as:
·
Exactly what are your
symptoms?
·
What seems to trigger
symptoms or worsen them?
·
Are your symptoms
worse during certain times of the year or certain times of the day?
·
Do your symptoms flare
up when you're in certain locations, such as outdoors or in your basement?
·
What other health
problems do you have?
·
Do other members of
your family have allergies? What kinds?
·
Are you exposed to
mold, dust, fumes or chemicals at work?
·
Do you know if you
have mold in your home?
What you can do in the
meantime
While you're waiting to see your doctor, there
are numerous over-the-counter allergy medications that may ease your symptoms.
If you have visible mold in your home, have
someone who's not allergic to mold clean the area using a solution of 1 cup
(250 ml) of bleach to 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water or a commercially
available mold-cleaning product. If you have to clean up the mold yourself, be
sure to wear long rubber gloves, safety goggles and a mask to limit your
exposure to the mold.
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