Allergy House Dust Enzyme Assay Skin

House dust allergy skin test is used to test the sensitization of your skin to house dust. This test helps in knowing the immune response to the house dust. In this test, your skin is slightly pricked and introduced to the house dust particles.

What is house dust allergy?

House dust allergy is the reaction to the dust in the environment. People with house dust allergy will experience symptoms soon after inhaling the dust particles from the house. The symptoms of house dust allergy include sneezing continuously, runny or stuffy nose, wheezing, itching, coughing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, watery eyes, irritation in the eyes, redness of the eyes, etc. House dust is commonly found in the corners of our house or in the places that are not cleaned very often. The main sources of dust are uncleaned carpets, old curtains, blankets, etc. But most of the house dust also comes from the people. Humans tend to shed their skin every day. Every 4-5 weeks your skin will be replaced. All these dead skin gets accumulated in your mattress, blanket, pillow, sofa or furniture, etc and turns into dust. Even the hair that falls from you breaks into smaller particles and eventually turns into dust. Not just from skin and hair, dust is also produced by the other stuff like old clothes, etc. The fibers from old clothes are shredded and become dust. Likewise, any old unused things are the sources of dust in the house. In addition to this dust from outside travels through air and enters the house. People with dust allergy mostly experience the dust allergy symptoms immediately after sweeping or vacuuming or dusting the house. The triggering factors of house dust allergy are dust mites, pet hair, fur or feathers, cockroaches, pollen, mud, mold, etc.

Sometimes the allergic reactions can be life-threatening causing narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breathe. Very less often house dust allergy may cause an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency condition which leads to facial flushing, itching, shock, sudden fall in blood pressure, constriction of airways, swollen throat, difficulty to breathe, etc.

Why this test is performed?

This test may be recommended to you if you experience symptoms like sneezing continuously, watery eyes, irritation in the eyes, redness of the eyes, runny or stuffy nose, wheezing, itching, coughing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, etc. This may also be recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment if you are diagnosed already.

No specific preparation is required for this house dust allergy skin test.