1. Association of hand and arm disinfection with asthma control in US nurses
- Author
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Alexis Descatha, Orianne Dumas, Nicole Le Moual, Carlos A. Camargo, Jan-Paul Zock, Paul K. Henneberger, Frank E. Speizer, Catherine Quinot, Raphaëlle Varraso, Krislyn M. Boggs, Vieillissement et Maladies chroniques : approches épidémiologique et de santé publique (VIMA), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Channing Division of Network Medicine [Boston, USA] (Department of Medicine), Harvard Medical School [Boston] (HMS)-Brigham and Women's Hospital [Boston], Cohortes épidémiologiques en population (CONSTANCES), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Paris-Saclay-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Respiratory Health Division [Morgantown, WV, USA], National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [Morgantown, WV, USA] (NIOSH), Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona] (UPF)-Catalunya ministerio de salud, Instituto de Salud Carlos III [Madrid] (ISC), Department of Emergency Medicine [Boston, USA], Harvard Medical School [Boston] (HMS)-Massachusetts General Hospital [Boston], Centers for Disease Control and Prevention R01 OH-10359, National Institutes of Health 12 UM1 CA176726. The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Program (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under REA grant agreement n. PCOFUND-GA-2013-609102, through the PRESTIGE program coordinated by Campus France., European Project: 609102,EC:FP7:PEOPLE,FP7-PEOPLE-2013-COFUND,PRESTIGE(2014), Faraldo, Beatrice, PRES Towards International Gain of Excellence - PRESTIGE - - EC:FP7:PEOPLE2014-09-01 - 2019-08-31 - 609102 - VALID, Brigham and Women's Hospital [Boston]-Harvard Medical School [Boston] (HMS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Paris-Saclay-Université de Paris (UP), UMS011 Cohortes épidémiologiques en population (CONSTANCES), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona]-Catalunya ministerio de salud, and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISC)
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Nurses ,Article ,health care workers ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Hand sanitizer ,Hygiene ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Adverse effect ,media_common ,Asthma ,Response rate (survey) ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,asthma ,medicine.disease ,Hand ,030210 environmental & occupational health ,United States ,3. Good health ,respiratory tract diseases ,[SDV.SPEE] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,Physical therapy ,Arm ,Female ,epidemiology ,[SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,women ,business ,occupational asthma ,Occupational asthma ,Body mass index ,Hand Disinfection - Abstract
ObjectivesTo investigate the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants/antiseptics used for hand hygiene and asthma control in nurses.MethodsIn 2014, we invited female nurses with asthma drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study II to complete two supplemental questionnaires on their occupation and asthma (cross-sectional study, response rate: 80%). Among 4055 nurses (mean age: 59 years) with physician-diagnosed asthma and asthma medication use in the past year, we examined asthma control, as defined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Nurses were asked about the daily frequency of hand hygiene tasks: ‘wash/scrub hands with disinfectants/hand sanitizers’ (hand hygiene) and ‘wash/scrub arms with disinfecting products’ (surrogate of surgical hand/arm antisepsis). Analyses were adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, smoking status and body mass index.ResultsNurses with partly controlled asthma (ACT: 20–24, 50%) and poorly controlled asthma (ACT ≤19, 18%) were compared with nurses with controlled asthma (ACT=25, 32%). In separate models, both hand and arm hygiene were associated with poorly controlled asthma. After mutual adjustment, only arm hygiene was associated with poorly controlled asthma: OR (95% CI) for 10 times/day) and poor asthma control. Associations persisted after further adjustment for surfaces/instruments disinfection tasks.ConclusionsFrequency of hand/arm hygiene tasks in nurses was associated with poor asthma control. The results suggest an adverse effect of products used for surgical hand/arm antisepsis. This potential new occupational risk factor for asthma warrants further study.
- Published
- 2018