Household Cleaning Sprays and Asthma Control among Elderly Women

Abstract

Background/Aim: Asthma control is suboptimal in nearly half of adult patients. A better knowledge of environmental determinants of asthma control may help improve disease management. Exposure to cleaning products at home is common and has been associated with adverse respiratory effects, especially when used in a spray form. However, data on the association between domestic use of cleaning sprays and asthma control are scant. We investigated this issue in a large cohort of French elderly women. Methods: We used data from a case-control study on asthma (Asthma-E3N, 2011-2013) nested in the E3N cohort. Women with asthma were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding respiratory health and environmental exposures (92% response rate). Among 3,023 women with current asthma, we examined asthma control, as defined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT) in the last 4 weeks. We used a standardized questionnaire to assess the frequency of household cleaning tasks, including the use of sprays. Analyses were adjusted for age, smoking status, body mass index and educational level. Results: Data on ACT and use of cleaning sprays were available for 2,223 women (70±6 years old). Asthma was controlled (ACT=25), partly controlled (ACT=20-24) and poorly controlled (ACT≤19) in 29%, 46% and 25% of the participants, respectively. A positive association was suggested between the use of at least 2 sprays weekly (10%) and poorly controlled asthma, in all women (odds ratio [OR]: 1.42, 95%CI: 0.93-2.15; p=0.10) and in those without household help (n=1,038; OR: 1.84, 0.95-3.59; p=0.09). When examining specific products, weekly use of windows/mirror cleaning sprays (25%) was associated with poorly controlled asthma (OR: 1.68, 1.09-2.58); use of other types of sprays (eg, furniture, oven, floor) was not. Conclusions: Regular use of cleaning sprays may contribute to poor asthma control in women. Limiting their use may help better achieving asthma control.