Airway inflammatory profile among cleaning workers from different workplaces

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Cleaning workers are a significant global workforce, often poorly compensated and under-researched.
• They face constant exposure to respiratory irritants in their work environments.
• This study investigates upper airway inflammation in cleaning workers across different settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate upper airway inflammation in professional cleaning workers.
• To compare nasal cytology and clinical profiles across hospital, university, and housekeeper settings.
• To assess the prevalence of asthma and rhinitis symptoms related to cleaning work.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 167 participants across four groups: hospital, university, housekeeper, and control.
• Nasal swabs were collected for upper airway inflammation analysis.
• Standardized questionnaires (ECRS, ISAAC) were used to evaluate clinical profiles and respiratory symptoms.

Main Results:

• Cleaning workers exhibited increased neutrophils and lymphocytes; hospital and university groups had more macrophages.
• Increased eosinophils and asthma symptoms were noted in hospital and housekeeper groups with less than one year of service.
• Rhinitis symptoms were prevalent in cleaning workers, with the university group reporting workplace-aggravated symptoms.

Conclusions:

• Cleaning workers experience airway inflammation, asthma, and rhinitis irrespective of their specific work environment.
• Hospital cleaning staff showed higher levels of macrophages, lymphocytes, and eosinophils.
• While workplace differences exist, duration of employment did not correlate with nasal inflammation or respiratory symptoms.