Dust mites -- tiny creatures that live on the dead skin cells that people shed -- are thought to be one of the main causes of an increase in allergic reactions in Taiwan.
"Allergies vary from place to place depending on genetic and environmental makeup," said Shyur Shyu-dar (
"In the US, for example, a lot of people are allergic to peanuts, but in Taiwan, very few react to peanuts," Shyur said.
According to Shyur, 90 percent of those with allergies in Taiwan react to dust mites and 50 percent to cockroaches. Dogs and cats are also high on the list of troublesome allergens in Taiwan.
In addition, Shyur said that studies showed that while only 1.3 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 15 had had allergy induced asthma attacks in 1974, by 1994 the figure had risen to 10.79 percent.
Furthermore, in Taipei City, the figures were 16 percent in 1998 and 19 percent in 2002.
Shyur explained that asthma was a contributing factor in two-thirds of allergy-related deaths in Taiwan.
Similarly, while 33 percent of elementary school students had allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, in 1994, the figure rose to 50 percent in 2002.
"Reactions to one allergen will affect the body's reaction to other allergens. Your body becomes hypersensitive when your allergies flare up," said Ko I-lang (
The lack of air circulation in buildings and offices was also one explanation for the increasing incidence of allergic reactions, Mackay Hospital pediatric allergy and immunology doctor Huang Li-hsin (
"With a relative humidity of over 65 percent, Taiwan's humidity also aids dust mite survival," Huang said.
Shyur highlighted the importance of thorough household cleaning, pointing out that dust mites survive primarily on people's dead skin cells.
It is normal to find as many as 2,000 mites per gram of dust in Taiwan, while in the US, 250 to 300 is average, according to Shyur.
While most mild allergic reactions result from breathing in or contact with allergens, Shyur warned that the ingestion of dust-mite-contaminated food could also trigger allergies, including anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Shyur said that Mackay had recently treated the first documented case of anaphylaxis caused by the ingestion of Blomia freemani, a kind of dust mite.
"Many people in Taiwan think that they are allergic to foods when actually the dust mites in the food cause the reaction. Flour and other flour-based foods, if left unused for over three months, will be contaminated by dust mites. Ingestion of the flour can trigger allergies," Shyur said.
In an effort to keep the public informed about asthma and other allergic diseases, the Mackay Hospital doctors also announced the founding of the Taiwan Association of Asthma Education, which will be headed by Shyur.
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