Dust mites, invisible "killers" that harm children's growth

(Professor Li Yunzhu, Chief Physician, Children's Respiratory Department, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai)

Sneezing, itching, perennial nasal congestion, runny nose, red tears and even wheezing... If you and your child have such symptoms, the most likely culprit is dust mites.

Dust mites are the most common allergen in Chinese group, and almost 80% of allergies come from dust mites. But in sharp contrast to its universality, people know very little about it, and there are even many misconceptions. In fact, dust mites cause a range of allergic reactions, especially respiratory allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. They pose a great danger to people, especially growing children, and can directly affect their growth and physical and mental health, thus affecting their life.

Asthma is now a serious public health problem. Currently, about 10 per cent of the world's population is suffering from asthma, of which 2-3 per cent die from asthma; As a result, the World Health Organization has set the first Tuesday of May as World Asthma Day since 2000 to draw attention to asthma treatment, better control and management of asthma treatment by doctors, patients and health authorities.

This year's World Asthma Day is May 1st, with the theme "You can control asthma." In fact, asthma is an allergic reaction to allergens such as pollen and dust mites, of which about 70% of asthma patients are caused by house dust mites. Therefore, to control asthma or other respiratory allergic diseases, the first step is to understand dust mites and their harm, and take measures to reduce this harm. The earlier the harm of radon is identified, the better it will be for the health of children and adults with allergies.