Mite allergy: is an air purifier useful?

In the 1960s, scientists identified that the majority of allergies attributed to dust, whether respiratory, ocular, or cutaneous, were actually due to dust mites ¹.

According to a 2021 study conducted in Europe, allergic rhinitis affects 13% (medical diagnosis) to 19% (self-report) of the population ². In France, as previously presented in our article Allergic Rhinitis: What Natural Treatments Are Available?, one in four people is currently affected, particularly among the young. According to the WHO, allergies have become the 4th chronic disease worldwide, and dust mites are responsible for 75% of respiratory allergies ³. The European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) even states that allergy is the most common chronic disease in Europe.

According to an Opinion Way survey for the allergen immunotherapy laboratory ALK, these allergies can significantly impact patients' daily lives: 70% of those affected give up daily activities ⁴.

What are dust mites?

There are more than 50,000 identified species of these microscopic organisms, relatives of spiders. About 0.3 mm in length, invisible to the naked eye, they feed on dead skin cells or hair debris ⁵. In one day, a human produces enough skin flakes to feed millions of dust mites!

They thrive particularly well in environments where the temperature is between 15 and 25°C and the humidity is between 65 and 80%. Their reproduction increases in spring and autumn. They are found especially in sofas, carpets, and most notably in bedding: a mattress can harbor nearly 2 million dust mites! They are thus especially breathed in at night, when they are near the respiratory tract ⁵.

In France, the two most common allergenic species are Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae ⁶.

What are the impacts of dust mites on allergies and asthma?

It's not the dust mites themselves that cause allergic reactions but rather their droppings and shell debris. These 5 µm microparticles can penetrate deep into the lungs. They are therefore particularly dangerous for people with allergies and asthma.

Researchers at INSERM ⁷ have shown that dust mites stimulate bronchial wall cells in both allergic and non-allergic individuals. In severe asthmatics suffering from bronchial remodeling, this indirectly increases the proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the bronchi, exacerbating this remodeling and thus worsening the disease. It's worth noting that asthma is far from a benign condition: it still causes the deaths of 1,000 people each year in France.

Dust Mites: What About Choosing an Air Purifier?

As detailed in our article Air Purifier: What to Choose?, there are various technologies for indoor air purification, each with its own advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness that may depend on the context or type of pollutants targeted.

While air ventilation is essential, it doesn’t always suffice to eliminate indoor pollutants and also allows particles from outside to enter. Therefore, an air purifier device is a very useful supplement.

Among the air purification solutions, the most common on the market is the HEPA filter. Highly effective under laboratory conditions, its performance can decrease depending on its usage conditions and it quickly becomes clogged. After 6 months, it loses about 25% of its effectiveness. Therefore, regular filter replacement is necessary.

On the other hand, ionization technology without ozone uses no disposable filter and is easy to maintain. It recreates the principle of electrostatic precipitation indoors for eliminating pollutant particles: they are charged by negative ions and thus removed from the air. This is a principle observed in the purest natural environments such as mountains or near rivers.

Customer testimonial

I was interested in TEQOYA air purifiers because I am allergic, particularly to dust mites. The itching kept me from sleeping, and sleep is very important for a top athlete! It is very difficult to completely rid of dust mites, even by changing your sheets frequently. After 2 months of using my TEQOYA, the difference is really noticeable, especially since we are in the worst period, with pollen adding to mites. I really improved the quality of my sleep. In addition, it is completely silent and discreet, I can take it with me when I travel and therefore improve my lifestyle wherever I am.
Dylan Chellamootoo, Champion of France 2024