Is allergic rhinitis getting more and more serious in summer? Teach you to check whether allergic symptoms are caused by mold.

Every summer, especially in the rainy season, Xiting is out of breath and breathless. Others say that the weather is warm and the humidity rises in summer. Compared with other seasons with alternating seasons or cold weather, asthma symptoms usually get better. But strangely, every summer, especially in the rainy season when the humidity increases, she feels breathless. Obviously, there is nothing special. Why?

Asthma and allergic rhinitis caused by mold

In certain seasons such as spring, summer and autumn, pollen is the most likely factor to aggravate symptoms such as asthma or allergic rhinitis. There are pollen on trees in spring, pollen on grass in summer and pollen on weeds in autumn. These pollen usually fly in large numbers on sunny days.

However, especially in the summer rainy season, mold spores are scattered in a large number in a wet state, so if severe asthma or rhinitis symptoms appear in the summer rainy season, it is most likely an allergy caused by mold spores. Mold has good adaptability, can exist anywhere, and needs certain humidity and oxygen for growth, so its distribution in mountainous and arid areas will be reduced. The mold spores flying in the air are closely related to humidity. There are mold spores in Korea all year round, but the number of them reaches 10 in July, which is in direct proportion to precipitation and humidity. In the rainy season with abundant precipitation, it will decrease sharply, and a large number of mold spores will fly away from the day after the rain clears (according to the hot and humid climate in the south, March to1February are all suitable seasons for mold reproduction). The mold that causes allergy can be roughly divided into indoor mold and outdoor mold. Aspergillus and Penicillium are indoor mold species, which are easy to grow in damp basements, indoor flowers or bathrooms. Cladosporium and Alternaria are outdoor mold species, which are common in temperate regions with distinct seasons and are easy to be seen in soil or peel in late summer and early autumn. In the rainy season in summer, if severe asthma and rhinitis symptoms appear, it is likely to be caused by outdoor mold.

What are the allergic symptoms caused by mold? Allergic rhinitis with asthma, clear nasal water, itchy nose and stuffy nose is a representative allergic disease. Compared with general asthma, the symptoms of asthma caused by mold allergy are relatively serious.

Then how do we know that this symptom is caused by mold? Skin test of back or forearm skin allergy can find out the cause of mold, and can also find out the cause by detecting the allergen immunoglobulin E of mold through blood test. Some people will worry about whether they are allergic to mold after finding mold at home, but in most cases it doesn't matter. The exact cause can be determined by careful consultation and examination of allergic symptoms.

The treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis caused by mold is the same as that of general asthma and allergic rhinitis. Asthma caused by mold mainly uses inhaled steroids, and the dosage of steroids can also be adjusted according to the degree of symptoms, and bronchodilators can be used.

Allergic rhinitis caused by mold is mainly treated with second-generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, and steroid nasal spray or leukotrienes are also used. If it is the target of immunotherapy (allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis are the targets of immunotherapy), immunotherapy should be carried out on molds such as Alternaria and Cladosporium.

Generally speaking, mold, like pollen, has no effective way to avoid it, so we can only minimize the chance of exposure to it. Externally, fallen leaves, fertilizers, haystacks, livestock pastures, wineries and other places are the main exposure places; Indoor, cloth sofas, cotton mattresses, furniture, wallpaper, carpets, sinks, shower curtains and other places are mainly exposed to them. There is no special treatment for outdoor mold, but you can wear protective masks to reduce the exposure risk; For indoor mold, it can be cleaned frequently, kept dry and removed as much as possible.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a famous allergic reaction caused by mold, which is caused by Aspergillus. Aspergillus can infect people with poor immune function due to asthma, and it belongs to mold that can cause allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and other diseases that invade the whole body.

This mold often exists in nature, indoors or outdoors, especially in fertilizer piles, tree hole covers, soil in flower pots, sewage facilities, bird droppings and so on.

Breathless asthma is a typical symptom, which can also lead to the increase of eosinophils in the blood and repeated lung infiltration in chest photography. Once the symptoms continue to develop, bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis will occur.

In Korea, sometimes it will be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis for a long time and then diagnosed. The disease can be diagnosed by Aspergillus allergic skin test, serum total immunoglobulin E, serum specific immunoglobulin test, Aspergillus-related precipitation test, CT and other radiation tests.

Although it is a disease that invades the lungs, it is different from mold infection and is caused by allergic immune reaction, so steroids will be used as a therapeutic drug. Antimicrobial agents are also used to treat mold. Recently, it has been found that molds other than Aspergillus can also cause symptoms, so allergic bronchomycosis (ABPM) will also be used.

Allergic pneumonia

Allergic pneumonia is another typical allergic disease caused by mold. Farmers or mushroom workers who are responsible for handling moldy hay, wheat straw or grain will suffer from lung diseases such as farmers' lungs or mushroom workers' lungs due to thermophilic actinomycetes.

The lungs of bird eaters come into contact with bird protein due to the excreta of pigeons, parrots and chickens, which in turn causes allergic pneumonia, which is also a famous example of allergic pneumonia. However, it has been reported that the lungs of malt workers caused by Aspergillus clavatus through mildewing wheat grains, maple bark workers caused by Cryptosporidium through mildewing maple bark, allergic pneumonia caused by dermatophytes in ancient houses, and Pleurotus ostreatus workers' lungs caused by Pleurotus ostreatus spores during cultivation are all direct pathogenic fungi. If it is acute, flu-like symptoms will appear within 4 ~ 8 hours after exposure to pathogenic allergens, such as dry cough, dyspnea, high fever, chills, muscle aches, weakness, etc., but will naturally subside after 8 ~ 12 hours. If you are not exposed to allergens again, you will return to normal, but if you are exposed to allergens again, your symptoms will recur, and if you continue to contact them, you will even be accompanied by weight loss and poor appetite. If it is a chronic type exposed to a small amount of inducing substances for a long time, although there is no fever, there will be symptoms such as progressive dyspnea, cough, muscle soreness and weight loss. Typical symptoms caused by allergen exposure can be diagnosed by blood test, precipitin test, radiological examination and pulmonary function examination, and bronchoscopy or tissue biopsy can be performed if necessary. During the treatment, it is most important to stay away from pathogenic factors. Once allergens are detected, air filtration devices, masks and air conditioning devices should be used to reduce the concentration of organic dust and avoid re-exposure.

If the symptoms do not improve after improving the workplace or living environment, you will have to leave your job or move. If it is acute allergic pneumonia, as long as you avoid contact with allergens, the symptoms will naturally subside after a few days or weeks, and the lung function will return to normal, rarely causing irreversible losses.

The clinical outcome of allergic pneumonia depends on how quickly we can find the cause and stay away from it. If the symptoms are serious or the disease continues to develop after being far away from the cause, steroid treatment should be used.

Environmental management methods to reduce mold

Moisture is the most important factor for mold propagation, so the most important thing is to keep the indoor humidity below 50% in order to create an environment where mold cannot grow. Dust mites are the most common allergens, which are easy to breed in high temperature and high humidity environment. Therefore, controlling the indoor temperature at 20 to 22 degrees and the indoor humidity at 40% to 50% is the best environment for nursing allergies.

In order to reduce indoor humidity, it is necessary to create a well-ventilated environment. You can often open doors and windows to achieve the effect of natural ventilation, and exhaust fans can be installed in bathrooms or kitchens with high humidity.

When outdoor humidity is high, such as summer rainy season, dehumidifier can be used to reduce indoor humidity. The dryer is more recommended than drying the washed clothes indoors. It is also a good idea to clean toilets, basements, windowsills, corners and other places that are prone to mold, or entrust a cleaning company to help clean them.