Asthma Sufferers Wasting Money in Dust Mites Battle

People with asthma should stop wasting money on special mattress protectors and vacuum cleaners to tackle dust mites, experts said yesterday.

A large-scale review found that such devices failed to effectively curb the allergens that can trigger asthma attacks.

Some asthmatics are allergic to the tiny mites that live in dust around the house, such as in carpets, bedding, soft furnishings and cuddly toys.

House dust contains a large number of different allergens, but the major allergen is derived from these mites.

Methods aimed at tackling the mites include mattress and pillow protectors, washing bedding at higher than 60 degrees, anti-dust mite cleaning products, high-efficiency vacuums and air filters.

But now a new review of 54 studies – including a total of 3,002 asthma patients – has found no evidence that such methods are effective.

Even after treatment, the level of allergens was still high enough in most homes to cause asthma attacks.

There are currently 5.2 million people in Britain receiving treatment for asthma.

The review, published by the Cochrane Collaboration, involved analysing 36 trials where physical interventions were used to tackle mites – 26 involved mattress encasings designed to prevent mites getting through.

Interventions might involve using chemicals to kill mites, washing bedding frequently in hot water or bleach, beating cushions outside and removing toys, plants and furniture from a house.

The review found that mite reduction occurred in 17 trials, but was unsuccessful in 24 trials and not measured or reported in the remaining 13 trials.

Even though some trials reported a cut in house mites, there was very little difference in how asthma patients responded.The number of patients who experienced an improvement in their symptoms was very similar across both the intervention groups and those acting as controls.

Lead author Dr Peter Gotzsche, director of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark, said some of the studies showed a more than 50 per cent reduction in allergens – but even 90 per cent is not sufficient to stop attacks.