Mold Allergy- Treatment of Its Causes

Along with pollens from trees, grasses, and weeds molds like microscopic fungal spores or fragments of fungi inhaled may cause allergic rhinitis. This triggers a cascade of reactions that lead to allergy symptoms. In some people, mold allergy is linked to asthma and exposure causes restricted breathing and other airway symptoms. Mold allergy causes the same signs and symptoms that occur in other types of upper respiratory allergies. Mold allergy symptoms can include: Sneezing Runny or stuffy nose Cough and postnasal drip Itchy eyes, nose and throat Watery eyes Sinusitis, an inflammation of the sinuses Mold allergy symptoms vary from person to person, and range from mild to severe. One may have year-round symptoms or symptoms that flare up only during certain times of the year like from spring to late fall also when the weather is damp, or you’re in indoor or outdoor spaces that have high concentrations of mold. The mold season often peaks from July to late summer. In the warmest areas of the United States, however, molds thrive all year and can cause year-round (perennial) allergic problems. In addition, molds growing indoors can cause perennial allergic rhinitis even in the coldest climates.

If you have mold allergy and asthma, your asthma symptoms may 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 There are thousands of types of molds yeast and spores. Since they are so small they evade the protective mechanisms of the nose and upper respiratory tract to reach the lungs. Molds are very common both inside and outside found wherever there is moisture, oxygen, and a source of the few other chemicals they need. Some of the most common molds that cause allergies include Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus, and Aureobasidium. If you have a mold allergy, the best defense is to reduce your exposure to the types of mold that cause your reaction.

Mold grows best at room temperature, and on many things, including tile, wood, paint, plaster, fabric, bathrooms and kitchens which contain adequate food and moisture also like closets, refrigerator drip trays, air conditioners, garbage pails, mattresses, pillows, attics, carpets, upholstery. In your home and basement, a musty smell will let you know that mold has set-up so all these needs to be freed from any moisture and cleaned regularly to reduce mold spores circulating in the air. If you have a stuffy nose, sneezing, watery eyes or other bothersome symptoms for longer than two weeks, see your doctor. If you have asthma or your doctor suspects you have asthma, you may need to see a doctor who specializes in allergies on inhaling tiny, airborne mold spores, your body recognizes them as foreign invaders and develops allergy-causing antibodies to fight them. While it isn’t always possible to avoid mold allergy triggers, medications can help keep mold allergy reactions under control. Similar to pollen counts, mold counts may suggest the types and relative quantities of fungi present at a certain time and place. For several reasons, however, these counts probably cannot be used as a constant guide for daily activities.

One reason is that the number and types of spores actually present in the mold count may have changed considerably in 24 hours because weather and spore dispersal are directly related. Many of the common allergenic molds are of the dry spore type – they release their spores during dry, windy weather. Other fungi need high humidity, fog, or dew to release their spores. Although rain washes many larger spores out of the air, it also causes some smaller spores to be shot into the air. In addition to the effect of day-to-day weather changes on mold counts, spore populations may also differ between day and night. Day favors dispersal by dry spore types and night favors wet spore types.

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