How to Diagnose Dust Mite Allergies

An estimated 20 million American suffer from dust mite allergies. Dust mites, which are microscopic organisms that live and breed in dust particles, can trigger allergies with symptoms that resemble asthma. With the help of an allergist, you can determine whether you are suffering from dust mite allergies once you submit to a series of pinpoint, scratch or blood tests.

Things You'll Need

• Allergist
• Allergy tests

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Instructions

• 1

  Determine whether you are suffering from symptoms of dust mite allergies before you ask a doctor to diagnose your condition. These symptoms, which closely resemble asthma, include chest and nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing, irritated and watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and wheezing. With a dust mite allergy these symptoms will intensify when you clean and dust your home, or when you are near carpeting, upholstered furniture, drapes and bedding.

• 2

  Visit your doctor or allergist to diagnose dust mite allergies. A health care professional will determine what type of allergy test will be used to diagnose your condition, such as scratch or pinpoint testing or a conventional blood test. Note that some health insurance policies may be reluctant to pay for costlier types of allergy testing.

• 3

  Submit to a scratch or pinpoint test to diagnose dust mite allergies. In this type of test, an allergist will make tiny scratches or pinpricks on your arm or back, and place a few drops of dust mite allergens onto the scratched area with a small lancet. The allergist will them be able to grade the severity of your allergy by the reaction of your skin.

• 4

  Use a conventional blood test to diagnose dust mite allergies if a scratch or pinpoint test is inconclusive. While it may take a few days to get accurate results from a blood test, the information gathered by your allergist may be more comprehensive, which can be helpful in identifying other types of respiratory complications that may be contributing to your dust mite allergies.

• 5

  Develop a plan to reduce dust mite activity in your home if you are diagnosed with a dust mite allergy. This may include using plastic dust mite encasings for your mattresses and pillows, removing carpeting and drapes from your home and coming up with a strict schedule for cleaning and washing all bedding, clothing and even stuffed animals.