Avoidance of Inhaled Pollutants and Irritants in Asthma from a Salutogenic Perspective

Abstract: Much is known about the role of aeroallergens in asthma, but little is described about the damage caused by inhaled pollutants and irritants to the respiratory epithelium. In this context, the most frequent pollutants and irritants inhaled in the home environment were identified, describing the possible repercussions that may occur in the respiratory tract of the pediatric population with asthma and highlighting the role of the caregiver in environmental control through a salutogenic perspective. Searches were carried out in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Lilacs and Scopus databases for articles considered relevant for the theoretical foundation of this integrative review, in which interactions between exposure to pollutants and inhaled irritants and lung involvement. Articles published in the last 10 years that used the following descriptors were considered: air pollution; tobacco; particulate matter; disinfectants; hydrocarbons, fluorinated; odorants; chloramines; pesticide; asthma; and beyond Antonovsky’s sense of coherence. Exposure to smoke and some substances found in cleaning products, such as benzalkonium chloride, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and monoethanolamine, offer potential risks for sensitization and exacerbation of asthma. The vast majority of the seven main inhaled products investigated provoke irritative inflammatory reactions and oxidative imbalance in the respiratory epithelium. In turn, the caregiver’s role is essential in health promotion and the clinical control of paediatric asthma. From a salutogenic point of view, pollutants and irritants inhaled at home should be carefully investigated in the clinical history so that strategies to remove or reduce exposures can be used by caregivers of children and adolescents with asthma.

Keywords: air pollution, tobacco, particulate matter, disinfectants, asthma, sense of coherence