The benefit of using plastic-covered mattresses and pillows on the frequency of asthma attacks in children with house dust mite allergy

  • Luh Putu Winansari Ratih
  • Hendra Santosa
Keywords: asthma attack, house dust mite, prick test, CIE, plastic covered mattress, pillow

Abstract

Background House dust mite (HDM) is abundant in tropical ar-
eas with an environmental temperature of 25-30 0 C and humidity
of more than 50%. Minimizing exposure to HDM allergens will de-
crease the frequency of asthma attacks in children with HDM hy-
perreactivity.
Objective To investigate the benefit of using plastic covered mat-
tresses and pillows in decreasing the frequency of asthma attacks
in children allergic to HDM.
Methods This is a longitudinal analytical study on children aged
3–12 years who showed positive HDM skin prick test (SPT). The
subjects received communication, information, and education (CIE)
for the first 3 months and CIE and plastic-covered mattresses and
pillows for the second 3 months. The frequency of asthma attacks
was observed for the two periods.
Results Twenty-six children with asthma were included in this study,
16 were boys and 10 were girls. SPT results were +2 in 17 chil-
dren, +3 in 8 children, and +4 in 1 child, respectively. During the
CIE as well as the CIE + plastic intervention periods, asthma at-
tack frequency was decreased significantly in the 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd
months. Among several variables (age, sex, SPT, atopic history in
first-degree relative, and other atopic history), age was the only
one significantly related to asthma attack frequency.
Conclusion Covering mattresses and pillows with plastic de-
creased the frequency of asthma attacks in children with positive
SPT to HDM

Author Biographies

Luh Putu Winansari Ratih
Department of Child Health, Medical School, Udayana
University, Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Indonesia.
Hendra Santosa
Department of Child Health, Medical School, Udayana
University, Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Indonesia.

References

1. Santoso P. Perjalanan alamiah penyakit alergi. Pre-
sented at The 3rd round table discussion on allergy
and immunology: Asma Bronkial, 2001 Oct 27;
Denpasar, Indonesia.
2. The mighty dust mite. Available from: http//
www.healthquest-nf.com/hqdustmitesinfo.htm.
3. Franky. Peran Dermatophagoides Pteronyssimus
terhadap kejadian asma bronkial pada anak di
Denpasar. Thesis. Denpasar: bagian Ilmu Kesehatan
Anak FK UNUD, 1996.
4. Adhianto G. Characteristic & clinical manifestation
of allergic rhinitis. Research report. Denpasar: Bagian
Ilmu Kesehatan Anak FK UNUD; 2001.
5. Sheikh A, Hurwitz B, Sibbald B, Barnes G, Howe M,
Durham S. House dust mite barrier bedding for child-
hood asthma; randomized placebo controlled trial in
primary care. BMC Family Practice 2002;3:12-7.
6. Halken S, Host A, Niklassen U, Hansen LG,
Nielsen F, Pedersen S, et al. Effect of mattress and
pillow encasings on children with asthma and house
dust mite allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;
111:169-76.
7. Shapiro GG, Wighton TG, Chinn T, Zuckerman J,
Eliassen AH, Picciano JF, et al. House dust mite
avoidance for children with asthma in homes of low
income families. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;
103:1069-74.
8. Vanlaar CH, Peat JK, Marks GB, Rimmer J, Tovey ER.
Domestic control of house dust mite allergen in children’s
bed. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;105:1130-3.
9. UKK Pulmonologi, PP Ikatan Dokter Anak Indone-
sia. Konsensus Nasional Asma Anak. Jakarta: 2000.
10. Akib AAP. Perjalanan alamiah penyakit alergi dan
upaya pencegahannya. In: Akib AAP, Tumbelaka AR,
Matondang CS, editors. Pendekatan imunolgis
berbagai penyakit alergi dan infeksi. Proceedings of
Pendidikan Kedokteran Berkelanjutan Ilmu Kesehatan
Anak FKUI XLIV. 2001 Jul 30-31; Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jakarta: Balai Penerbit FKUI; 2001.
11. Martinez FD. Complexities of the genetics of asthma.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997;156(Suppl):S117-22
12. Arlian LG, Platts-Mills TAE. The biology of dust
mites and the remediation of mite allergens in aller-
gic disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;107
(Suppl):S406-13.
13. Rijssenbeek-Nouwens LHM, Oosting AJ, De bruin-
Welter MS, Bregmen I, De Monchy JGR, Postma DS.
Clinical evaluation of effect of anti allergic mattress
covers in subjects with moderate to severe asthma and
house dust mite allergy: a randomized double blind
placebo controlled study. Thorax 2002;57:784-90.
14. Gotzche PG, Hammarquist C, Burr M. House Dust mite
control measures in the management of asthma: meta
analysis. BMJ 1998;317: 1105-10.
15. Chew GL, Burge HA, Dockery DW, Muilenberg ML,
Weiss ST, Gold DR. Limitations of a home character-
istics questionnaire as a predictor of indoor allergen
levels. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998; 157:1536-41.
16. Koopman LP, Van Strien RT, Kerkhof M, Wijga A, Smit
HA, De Jogste JC, et al. Placebo controlled trial of house
dust mite impermeable mattress cover. Am J Respir
Crit Care Med 2002;166:307-13.
Published
2016-10-10
How to Cite
1.
Ratih LP, Santosa H. The benefit of using plastic-covered mattresses and pillows on the frequency of asthma attacks in children with house dust mite allergy. PI [Internet]. 10Oct.2016 [cited 29Mar.2024];45(2):60-. Available from: https://paediatricaindonesiana.org/index.php/paediatrica-indonesiana/article/view/800
Section
Articles
Received 2016-10-05
Accepted 2016-10-05
Published 2016-10-10