Can Bed Bugs Increases Asthma and Other Allergies? Researchers from North Carolina State University have shown that even after bed bugs have been cleared from the home, exposure to the blood sucking insects increases the risk of developing life-threatening asthma and other allergies.
According to the research, bed bugs do not just bite at night; they secrete histamine and other hazardous chemicals in their feces and urine. Histamine and these other hazardous droppings remain in the environment even long after the bed bugs have been cleared, thereby triggering allergic response in the occupants.
The deposited histamine could be resilient for a long time, causing allergic reactions such as itchy eyes, excessive sneezing, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. Furthermore, in adverse cases, histamine can cause inflammation of the airways, which is very dangerous for asthmatic patients and people with other disorders of the respiratory tract.
North Carolina Research Study
The researcher examined 30 homes in North Carolina. Some of them were bed bug infested; some others were recently fumigated and cleared of all bed bugs. Lastly the third group had never been infested by bed bugs. The study, which was published in PLOS One journal, discovered that the homes that were infested had 20 times higher histamine levels than the ones that hadn’t been infested. Consequently, this high histamine levels persisted for many months even after thorough fumigation.
According to leader of the research team, Zachary DeVries, although bed bugs have never been associated with any serious health implications, apart from skin irritation which could progress to secondary skin infection. Thus, tackling bed bugs should be an issue of great concern. Zachary stated that the histamine levels discovered in infested homes during the research were enough to cause adverse health conditions. This was true especially in regard to elderly people and people living in rural communities, who are at a greater risk of having bed bugs in their homes.
The elderly population is a population that should especially be of concern. Elderly individuals are often on a set income making the cost of getting rid of the pests unmanageable. Also, some elderly residents are unable to travel or not coherent enough to indicate they are having an issue. This leads to it taking longer for the problem to come to light making the infestations more severe.
The researcher said exposure to bed bug histamine could cause as much of an allergy as cockroach and dust mites cause, but in this instance, bed bug histamine takes the pack. This is because the bugs prefer to stay closer to humans than the other insects, thereby worsening their impact.
Histamine Indications
According to the researcher, histamine serves as a marker with which the bugs mark favorable places where they should cluster in large numbers. Chiefly, this entails that they drop greater levels of histamine in the bedrooms, than in other rooms. The reasoning for this is due to bed bugs often feeding on hosts during the night. Given their preference for nocturnal activity and where the host is located the bedroom this is a location where histamine interactions happen most often.
The researcher also expressed concern that low-income households. The reason for this is they may not be able to afford the services of pest control professionals. This brings them to suffer the impact of bed bugs more than those who can afford to fumigate their homes properly.
Albeit there are those with lower incomes who use repellents to help eradicate their issue there is still additional concern. If this population are in homes or apartments with shared walls of other units, the concern would be the bed bugs traveling back to their home causing more issues.
With this information it is clear to see that bed bugs asthma and other allergies are a concern. Bed bugs can cause issues with respiratory function even after they are no longer residing in the home. The reason for this is their high histamine levels and the impact histamine has on the body. For more articles on questions like Bed Bugs Increases Asthma and Other Allergies. Read More…
