Mold Allergy: Symptoms and Treatments

We have all seen that nasty mildew growing on our bathroom tiles or that fruit left out too long. Molds are very small fungi with tiny thread-like filaments (called hyphae). Whether living or dead, mold spores are allergens that can affect people. All molds need to thrive is water, oxygen and a little organic matter. While they thrive in temperatures ranging between seventy and ninety degrees, a little cold weather does not affect them; they just become dormant. Of course, in southern climes, they thrive all year long. As molds love the temperature range most often associated with rooms, they grow best in a house. That musty smell in your basement or laundry room, that is mold; and it will grow on anything from tile, grout, wood, plaster, fabric, and painted surfaces. While molds more often than not originate in the basement, their spores are easily carried by the wind. So, they inevitably end up growing throughout the house.

It is interesting to note that molds do not cause itchy eyes and nose, the way some foods and pollen allergies do. Instead, people usually suffer the same symptoms as hay fever (rhinitis): runny nose, congestion, sneezing, cough, headaches, post nasal drip and various kinds of respiratory infections. In addition, it has been found that some foods, such as cheeses, mushrooms, and dried fruit can make the symptoms worse. Foods that have yeast, soy sauce, or vinegar have been known to make the symptoms much more severe.

For treatment, taking the same medications as those used for pollen (and other inhaled allergens) is typical: a bronchodilator, an antihistamine, or corticosteroids. There is also immunotherapy. In that, a series of injections are given to the patient. Each has a gradually increasing dose containing extracts of the various allergens the person is allergic to. That way, they eventually build up a tolerance to the molds.

While totally eliminating mold in the home is difficult, there are a number of steps that can be taken to minimize it. First, there are a host of allergy reduction products that can be used throughout the home. Next, store foods properly, and control humidity. To that end, a good household dehumidifier can go a long way toward reducing humidity. Always use an exhaust fan when taking a bath/shower, or at least open a window. And, along those same lines, wash the shower curtain, bathroom tiles, and grout as often as possible. If your home has a basement, use a dehumidifier down there, and if you paint the basement, use a paint that has a mold inhibitor.