TY - JOUR T1 - Mite-sensitive asthma of childhood JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood JO - Arch Dis Child SP - 716 LP - 721 DO - 10.1136/adc.49.9.716 VL - 49 IS - 9 AU - J. K. Sarsfield AU - G. Gowland AU - Rosemary Toy AU - Audrey L. E. Norman Y1 - 1974/09/01 UR - http://adc.bmj.com/content/49/9/716.abstract N2 - A trial of the effects of measures designed to reduce exposure to house-dust mites was performed on 14 children with mite-sensitive asthma. These measures reduced mite infestation of the beds and were associated with clinical improvement of asthmatic symptoms. Immunological studies revealed a tendency for levels of total serum IgE to fall during the course of the trial, but no such changes were apparent in the levels of anti-mite specific serum IgE. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. The conclusion of the study is that the use of a plastic mattress cover and the other inexpensive and harmless avoidance measures described should be advised for all asthmatic children with evidence of mite-sensitivity before resort to drug prophylaxis or hyposensitization procedures. ER -