Facts, Prevention, and Relief for Mold Allergies for 2024
Beat your allergies forever.
Get Started With WyndlyMold allergies are some of the most common indoor allergies in the United States. Mold can grow almost anywhere in the right conditions, making it a hard allergen to avoid.
Seasonal allergies will typically subside during certain parts of the year, but mold allergies can persist year-round, especially when the weather is rainy or humid.
If you have mold allergies, you don’t have to put up with the symptoms. There are many ways to avoid mold and to manage — and even treat — symptoms. Wyndly can help with a personalized allergy consultation. Get your allergy consultation from Wyndly today, or read on to learn more about mold allergies.
Common Symptoms
If you have mold allergies, you’ll likely experience several allergy symptoms when you’re exposed to mold spores. Mold allergies share many symptoms with other indoor allergies, making it hard to identify the source of your allergies.
If you are allergic to mold, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Red eyes
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Dry skin
- Coughing
- Scratchy throat
- Itchy mouth or lips
- Aggravated asthma symptoms
If you have mold allergies and asthma, your allergies may trigger the following symptoms:
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Wheezing
Mold allergies can range in severity. In very rare cases, mold can induce anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and requires emergency medical attention.
Where Is Mold Found?
Mold is a small type of fungus that can grow in damp environments. Mold tends to thrive when the right conditions are met. These conditions include dark, damp environments, temperatures to suit their growing needs, and access to food and oxygen. These conditions are common in many indoor and outdoor environments, making mold a fairly widespread allergen.
When mold releases its spores, they can be inhaled, causing an allergic reaction.
What Are the Types?
Not every kind of mold will cause an allergic reaction. Also, you can be allergic to one type of mold or multiple.
Some of the most common molds that cause allergies are:
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Alternaria
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Aspergillus
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Aureobasidium
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Cladosporium
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Penicillium
The best way to identify which type of mold is causing your allergies is with an allergy test.
Health Complications
Typically, mold allergies aren’t too serious, but certain health complications can be brought on by mold allergies.
These complications include:
- Allergic fungal sinusitis: Ongoing mold exposure can cause an inflammatory response in the sinuses. Chronic sinusitis may require antibiotics.
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: This is a rare condition that can cause inflammation in the lungs after exposure to mold spores.
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: This is a lung reaction that can occur if someone who has asthma or cystic fibrosis is exposed to mold spores.
- Mold-induced asthma: As we mentioned, those with asthma may have additional complications from a mold allergy. An inhaler or other asthma medication may be needed in the event of an asthma attack.
Testing and Diagnosis
Several indoor allergens are just as common as mold, making it difficult to determine if mold is your main problem. There are also different types of mold, and figuring out which type of mold is causing your allergies can be helpful. With an allergy test, you can rule out any other potential allergens and find out if mold is the source of your symptoms. Wyndly makes allergy testing easy. You simply order an at-home allergy test, do a simple finger-prick test, and find out the cause of your allergies. Buy an at-home allergy test from Wyndly today.
Let’s explore how different allergy testing options work:
Old-Fashioned Method: Skin Prick Test at Your Doctor’s Office
Skin prick testing requires you to go to the doctor to find out your allergen triggers. It’s often uncomfortable, and it takes time out of your day. You’ll go to the doctor’s office, they’ll administer a test where they prick or scrape your skin with a needle tipped with different allergens, and then they’ll observe the areas they pricked for itchiness, redness, or swelling. All in all, it’s not a pleasant experience. Instead, you can save yourself time and pain by getting an at-home test.
Modern and Efficient At-Home Method
- Order Wyndly’s at-home allergy test. We ship our CLIA-certified test straight to your door.
- Take the allergy test and send it back to us. Just do a quick finger prick test to provide us with a blood sample, and mail it back when you’re done.
- Receive your personal allergy profile. Our doctor will interpret your results, create an allergy profile, and walk you through a treatment plan.
Unlike self-diagnosis, an allergy test can reveal the full breadth of your allergies. This way you know exactly what you’re allergic to and how you can treat your symptoms.
Treatment and Remedies
Mold allergies can be tricky to manage since mold can be everywhere. However, there are ways to limit your exposure, manage your symptoms, and even treat them.
These are some methods you can try to take care of your mold allergy symptoms.
Limiting Exposure
It’s a good idea to rid your home of mold and try your best to avoid spores. There are several ways to limit your exposure.
- Use a dehumidifier: Mold thrives in areas that are especially humid or damp. A dehumidifier can help reduce humidity in musty areas of your home. It’s also a good idea to get a humidity sensor to show you the humidity level in your home. Keeping levels below 50% is ideal.
- Fix leaks: Mold thrives in areas where water is leaking or getting into your home. Check bathrooms and basements for damp areas.
- Ventilate bathrooms: When you’re taking a shower or bath, be sure to run your vent fans. If you don’t have vent fans, you might consider installing some, and in the meantime, keep windows open.
- Use a filter on your A/C: A HEPA filter can help trap mold spores and prevent them from getting into your home and circulating through your air systems.
- Remove carpet from bathrooms and basements: Carpeting can trap moisture in damp areas like this, giving mold a perfect place to grow and thrive.
- Throw out old books and newspapers or keep them somewhere dry: These items can quickly grow mold when they get damp.
- Clean areas with mold: There are various ways to kill mold if you find it in your home. Undiluted white vinegar can work, as can a bleach solution (1 cup of bleach per gallon of water). Vinegar is better for killing mold on porous surfaces, so keep this in mind when choosing your mold cleaner. There are also mold cleaners that you can buy in the store.
Medications
Limiting exposure may not be sufficient for providing relief from mold allergies. Even if you manage to rid your home of mold, you may still be exposed to spores outside and in various other indoor facilities. Fortunately, allergy medication is widely available and can help you manage symptoms.
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Over-the-counter medications: Over-the-counter medications are available in most pharmacies and are a short-term solution for your allergy symptoms. There are several OTC allergy medications you may want to try, depending on your symptoms.
- Antihistamines: Antihistamines inhibit your body from producing histamine, which contributes to allergic responses. Blocking this response can provide you with short-term relief from various symptoms.
- Eye drops: Eye drops can flush mold spores out of your eye, relieving symptoms of itchy and watery eyes.
- Nasal sprays: Nasal sprays relieve inflammation and swelling in the nasal passage. They also clear mold spores out, providing you with short-term relief from congestion and runny noses.
- Prescription medications: If OTC allergy medications aren’t providing you with adequate short-term relief, you may want to consider prescription options. You can consult your doctor to see if this is the right choice for you, but prescription medications can also only be a short-term solution.
Allergy medications may provide you with temporary relief, but they don’t treat your symptoms. If you’re looking for long-term relief from your mold allergies, you may want to consider sublingual immunotherapy.
Sublingual Immunotherapy Allergy Drops
Allergy immunotherapy introduces small, incrementally increasing amounts of your allergen to your system, retraining your immune system to ignore these triggers over time. Sublingual immunotherapy allergy drops are a form of immunotherapy that uses under-the-tongue drops. Most people are familiar with allergy shots, but allergy drops are equally effective and don’t require painful needles. Unlike allergy shots, sublingual immunotherapy can also be delivered to your home, so you don’t have to go to a doctor’s office to receive treatment. If you’re looking for long-term relief from allergy symptoms, Wyndly can help.
Get Long-Term Relief With Wyndly
Wyndly provides allergy sufferers with a path to long-term relief. With an allergy treatment plan from Wyndly, you’ll get a personalized plan designed to treat your mold allergies at the source.
Get an allergy consultation from Wyndly today to get started.
Mold FAQs
These are some frequently asked questions about mold allergies.
Am I allergic to all mold if I have mold allergies?
There are certain types of mold that commonly cause allergies. You may be allergic to just one or to multiple types.
Does my job put me at risk for mold exposure?
Some jobs have a higher risk for mold exposure than others. Occupations that are commonly exposed to mold spores include farming, carpentry, dairy work, logging, and greenhouse work.
When is mold allergy season?
Since mold can grow indoors and outdoors, you can be exposed to mold spores year-round.
