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Article: Dust mites taking potty breaks a big allergy contributor
- Article from:
- Post-Tribune (IN)
- Article date:
- August 19, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (c) 2003 Post-Tribune. (Hide copyright information)
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THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM PRINTED VERSION
RALLIE MCALLISTER, M.D.(PHOTO)
You can't see them, but they're everywhere. They're dust mites -- microscopic vermin whose droppings make sneezing and wheezing a way of life for people with asthma and allergies.
The dust mite is a major contributor to allergy problems, but it's not the mites themselves that most people are allergic to; it's their droppings. Dust mite feces are one of the most prevalent allergens worldwide.
Mite feces are about the size of a grain of pollen, but they can cause some very large problems. A single mite takes between 10 and 20 potty breaks every day. Their diet consists largely of shed skin scales and ...