Can High-efficiency particulate air based air purifier improve quality of Asthma control?

A new study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology shows that the air quality was greatly enhanced by the Dyson air purifier. However, despite improvements in indoor air quality, there were no appreciable gains in asthma management, quality of life, or measurements of lung function in the intervention group compared to the control group.

Poor asthma outcomes are correlated with air pollution. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air purifiers have the potential to improve asthma outcomes by reducing air pollution. The effectiveness of such gadgets for this purpose is still up for debate. Therefore, utilizing a cutting-edge DYSON HEPA air purifier, Wei Chern GavinFong and colleagues carried out this study to examine the impact of decreasing the levels of pollutants on asthma outcomes in adults.

Participants (N=50) were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to either active filters (Intervention) or dummy filters (Placebo) for a total of 78 weeks in a single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled experiment. The main results were the variations in baseline values for the Asthma Control Questionnaire 6 (ACQ6) and the Asthma-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Lung function measures and changes in indoor air pollution were the secondary results. The Covid-19 pandemic only allowed for baseline measures of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and fractional exhaled nitric oxide during spirometry examinations.

The key findings of this study were:

1. When compared to the Placebo group, air pollution levels in the Intervention group were much lower.

2. Both groups' ACQ6 and AQLQ scores significantly improved.

3. In multivariable repeated measures models, there were no significant between-group changes in the ACQ6, AQLQ, or spirometry when compared to baseline.

In conclusion, despite an improvement in indoor air quality in the intervention group as shown by an increase in PM2.5 levels, using the Dyson air purifier did not substantially enhance asthma control and quality of life in persons with asthma when compared to a placebo. Larger, more comprehensive investigations are necessary to support or contradict these findings, especially in light of the fact that the Covid-19 outbreak made it impossible to collect comprehensive, objective data.

Reference: 

Fong, W. C. G., Kadalayil, L., Lowther, S., Grevatt, S., Potter, S., Tidbury, T., Bennett, K., Larsson, M., Nicolas, F., Kurukulaaratchy, R., & Arshad, S. H. (2022). Efficacy of Dyson air purifier on asthma control: a single-center, investigator-led, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. In Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.10.010