Cleaning sprays, household help and asthma among elderly women.
OBJECTIVE
There is increasing evidence on the deleterious role in asthma of the use of household cleaning products in spray forms in adults. Household help might induce misclassification errors. The aim of the present analysis was to study associations between household exposure to cleaning sprays and current asthma in elderly women, taking into account household help.


METHODS
A nested case-control survey on respiratory health was undertaken among a random sample of French women from the E3N study. Data were available for 570 women (235 with current asthma and 335 without asthma history; 68 years old on average, 59% never smokers). Three estimates of domestic exposure were used: 1) self-reported, 2) using principal component analysis, 3) a composite score for sprays. Associations between domestic exposures and asthma were assessed by logistic regression, adjusted for age, educational level, BMI and smoking status. Analyses were further stratified on household help in order to evaluate a potential misclassification bias.


RESULTS
Among women without household help (n = 325), a significant association was observed between weekly use of at least one spray and current asthma (OR [95% CI]: 1.86[1.04-3.33]). No association was observed among women with household help.


CONCLUSIONS
Weekly household use of cleaning sprays may have a deleterious effect on asthma. It is important to take into account household help to limit misclassification bias.
Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France. Electronic address: annabelle.bedard@inserm.fr.
Annabelle
A
Bédard
Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France.
Raphaëlle
R
Varraso
Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France.
Margaux
M
Sanchez
Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Nutrition, hormones et santé de la femme Team, Gustave Roussy Institute, F-94805 Villejuif, France.
Françoise
F
Clavel-Chapelon
Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 08003 Spain.
Jan-Paul
JP
Zock
Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France.
Francine
F
Kauffmann
Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, F-94807 Villejuif, France; Univ Paris Sud, UMRS 1018, F-94807 Villejuif, France.
Nicole
N
Le Moual
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003902:Detergents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
D003902:Detergents; D004202:Disinfectants
Asthma; Domestic cleaning sprays; asthma treatment; household help