Bedding, allergies and lung health
By GAtherton
Image showing crumpled bedding

A recent case report in the British Medical Journal finds that a man has been treated for severe lung inflammation and breathlessness as a result of an allergy to his feather bedding. The source was found after potential triggers – such as his pets and a small amount of mould in his home – had been ruled unlikely, and it was discovered that his symptoms had begun soon after the purchase of new feather bedding. Blood tests revealed antibodies to bird feather dust and he was diagnosed with ‘feather duvet lung’, a severe immune response to the organic dust from the goose or duck down found within duvets and pillows. Left untreated the condition can cause irreversible scarring to the lungs.

Exposure to allergens can worsen the symptoms of people who suffer from allergies. In many cases, the more allergens there are in an environment, the worse it gets for the sufferer; for some people reducing the amount of allergen can help. The success of this approach depends on which allergen a person is allergic to (you can get tested by your doctor to check this), but if you find that your allergy is to indoor allergens such as dust mites or pet dander it can be worth trying to reduce your exposure to those allergens in your home. Likewise, if your allergy is to pollen or other allergens usually found outside the home, then you can attempt to filter incoming air. This may not work for you – take medical advice first before spending lots of money on ‘anti-allergy’ devices. However, if you find that there may be some point in trying to reduce your exposure to allergens in the home you will find a variety of products designed to do this on the Allergy UK website.

The Asthma charity Allergy UK provides a wide range of services to people suffering from allergies, including supervising a range of retail products that have been properly tested and assessed for efficiency at reducing our exposure to a range of allergens. For those sensitive to fungi we would point out in particular the pillow & mattress covers and HEPA filtered vacuum cleaners, but there are many more. For some homes (or places of work) there are underlying problems of damp – removing the sources of damp will also reduce the amount of fungi in your home and should improve your allergies.

The Allergy UK Seal of Approval

Our main endorsement is the ‘Seal of Approval’. When you see a product with this logo on it, you have the reassurance that the product has been scientifically tested to prove it is efficient at reducing/removing allergens from the environment, or that the product has significantly reduced allergen/chemical content.

The testing is carried out by an independent laboratory to protocols which have been created for the Seal of Approval by leading allergy specialists, specifically to benefit the sufferers of allergy, asthma, sensitivity and intolerance.