Cockroach Rash: Everything You Need to Know

Cockroaches are an especially nasty pest that can quickly infest your home. They are unsanitary and cause many health issues. Cockroach Rash is a common side effect of an allergy to cockroaches, cockroach feces, or discarded body parts. 

In this article, we want to explore all that there is to know about roach rash and its effects by focusing on three topics:

  • What is roach rash, and what possible symptoms can this allergy cause?
  • How to prevent cockroaches from entering and infesting your home
  • Common treatments for roach rash and its effects

Cockroach Rash: How to Spot a Roach Allergy

Your dear mother had a method to her madness when she insisted you keep your room clean and tidy as a child!

Hoarding laundry and dishes and leaving items in the garbage can quickly attract cockroaches to your home or room. And once those sneaky pests arrive, getting rid of them is tricky.

But cockroaches can infest more than just your home! They can cause a wide variety of health issues.

But cockroaches can infest more than just your home! They can cause a wide variety of health issues.

While the first sign that you have an allergy to cockroaches is a skin rash, there are a few symptoms that can indicate this. 

From a rash to more serious illnesses like asthma, roaches carry an antigen similar to that of mites. The longer the exposure, the more the symptoms are likely to show. 

The most common symptoms of a cockroach allergy are:

  • A rash on the skin
  • Sinus infections and rhinitis
  • Ear infections
  • Congestion and runny nose
  • Coughing and wheezing

For people living with asthma, more serious complications can occur and include:

  • Difficulty or wheezing when breathing
  • Pain in the chest or a tight feeling in the chest
  • No sleep due to pain in the chest and breathing problems

While most of these symptoms can be easily treated with an over-the-counter medication, they can quickly turn into a nightmare! When a chronic allergy sets in and the effects are felt far worse than before, you’ll be miserable. 

While most of these symptoms can be easily treated with an over-the-counter medication, they can quickly turn into a nightmare!

The best treatment is, of course, prevention, and you should aim to eradicate roaches from your home quickly and permanently. 


Roach Prevention Tips You Can Trust

The best way to prevent roach rash and other symptoms associated with a roach allergy is to prevent them from coming into and infesting your home in the first place. 

Let’s look at a few more tips that you can use to keep your home roach free:

1. Clean Up!

Keep your house as clean and tidy as possible. Keep dirty dishes out of bedrooms, and dispose of trash in a sealed garbage can. Wipe surfaces down with a damp cloth and an antiseptic surface cleaner to reduce sticky mess and food residues from attracting roaches. 

2. Fix Leaks

Fix any leaks around your home. Cockroaches are attracted to water sources and flock to your home when leaks occur. 

3. Properly Dispose Of Your Trash

Seal your garbage can and keep leftover food in tightly sealed containers. Remove the temptation, and the roaches will stay away. 

4. Fumigate If You Need To

Fumigate your house during the hotter months when roaches are known to breed. Calling an exterminator to spray your home for cockroaches at least once a year helps keep your home roach-free.

5. Seal Up Cracks

Seal off cracks, vents, and under doorways where roaches might slip in. Remember that cockroaches can and do fly! Be sure to install and maintain your window and door screens to help prevent these critters. 


Treatment Options for Roach Rash and Other Symptoms

The number one cause of roach rash and an allergy to roaches is constant exposure. As we have mentioned in our prevention tips above, preventing roaches from entering and infesting your home is possible.

But depending on your living circumstances, even if you do everything right, maybe your neighbors don’t. Or maybe the roaches are just too tenacious.

Sometimes roach infestations are not preventable.

If you or your family presents with any of the common symptoms of roach rash, a few treatment options are available. 

Sometimes roach infestations are not preventable.

Over-the-counter and prescription medications are relatively cheap and available to treat the nasty symptoms of a cockroach allergy. If you suspect that any of you or your family does have an allergy to roaches or have any of the symptoms we have listed above, consult your doctor or pharmacist for treatment options. 

The more common treatment options that a doctor or pharmacist will give you once you have identified that you have an allergic reaction to cockroach antigens include: 

1. Decongestants

These are available in pill, syrup, nose spray, and drops form and are available over-the-counter at any drug store. Decongestants work to help to shrink the lining of the nasal canals, relieving the overall stuffiness you feel.

It is important to note that pill and liquid decongestants may cause drowsiness, so take these with caution. 

2. Antihistamines

Antihistamines are great for treating a wide variety of allergy symptoms. They are available in pill, liquid, and nose spray form and can help relieve the itching that causes sneezing and watery eyes.

Antihistamines can also stop a runny nose and alleviate stuffiness in an instant. 

3. Corticosteroids

Any steroid-type medication requires a prescription. This is because it is a scheduled drug. Corticosteroids in the form of a nasal spray can help with the runny nose, itching eyes, and sinus symptoms of roach allergies and help reduce the swelling in your nasal and sinus passages.

Corticosteroids cannot be used long-term and can have a few unpleasant side effects. 

4. Immunotherapy 

Immunotherapy is the treatment of choice for severe allergy sufferers. This is considered a long-term treatment option and can only be done by a doctor. Immunotherapy helps to reduce the overall severity of the allergy by reducing the body’s response to the allergen.

This is also a great long-term treatment option for those with asthma and extreme reactions to roach antigens. 


Conclusion

Roaches are more than just a household pest that ruins your stuff! They can cause a host of health issues that can result in a chronic allergy to roaches and their feces. Preventing a roach infestation is key but not always possible. 

If you suspect you have a cockroach allergy or roast rash, consult your doctor or pharmacist and choose from various treatment options available.

Fumigation is a great way to prevent an infestation in your home.