Air conditioner users are more prone to airway obstruction: A cross sectional study done in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Air conditioner (AC) has become very popular specially in the urban areas as a result of increasing environmental temperature. Exposure to cold, dry air of air conditioner may lead to various alternations in lung functions of the individuals who are regularly exposed to it which can lead to development of lung diseases in future. This cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the effects of air conditioner use on lung functions of apparently healthy adult male and female living in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The study group consisted of 48 apparently healthy adult male and female who were exposed to air conditioner for at least 6 hours per day for minimum 5 days per week for the past 2 to 4 years and where temperature of the AC was constantly regulated in between 18° to 25°Celsius. The control group consisted of similar number of age, gender, BMI and socioeconomically matched subjects who did not use air conditioner nearly at all. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) Forced Expiratory Volume in 1st second (FEV1), Forced Expiratory ratio (FEV1/FVC ratio) were estimated in both the study and control group using Minato Autospiro AS-507. Statistical analysis was done by unpaired Student’s ‘t’ test. In this study mean actual, percentage (%) of predicted value of FVC, FEV1 and mean actual value of FEV1/FVC ratio were significantly lower in the study group in comparison to the control group. Results of this study is suggestive of predisposition of AC users towards obstructive type of respiratory disorders.