Mattress covers may not help with dust mite allergies

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Based on two dozen clinical trials, U.S. researchers find that expensive mattress covers make no difference in reducing dust mite allergies or their symptoms. Up to 40 percent of the world population has allergies, and dust mites are thought to be one of the most common causes. “Based on this analysis which combines data from many different studies, there doesn’t seem to be any benefit to using dust mite covers to prevent allergic disease or to prevent symptoms,” lead author Whitney Arroyave told Reuters Health. Arroyave, a researcher with the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, and her colleagues combined results from 24 trials of methods to reduce dust mite exposure and prevent allergy signs and symptoms The study team found that use of the mattress covers had a large effect in reducing exposure to house mite dust levels – about 20 percent – but this reduction had no statistically significant impact on house dust mite sensitization, or symptoms such as wheezing, asthma, runny nose or dermatitis.