eMedicineLive

Children with hereditary allergies and early exposure to secondhand smoke form the crest of the risk groups for potential respiratory disorders.

Passive smoking refers to inhalation of secondhand smoke from tobacco products used by others. Studies in this field provide evidences that exposure to secondhand smoke poses serious health risks causing diseases, other disabilities, and even death in some cases. It is believed that children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk of acquiring allergies owing to less developed lungs that are easily vulnerable to diseases. Inhalation of passive smoke in early ages greatly affects young children and may cause them to suffer from severe respiratory disorders, bronchitis, cardio vascular diseases, lung cancer, ear infections et al.

A recent study on this subject presents the results of a population-based cross-sectional study carried out on children who visited the Child Health Care (CHC) centers in Malmö. Various methods were employed during the study including population based study, study of parental and child characteristics, detailed study on the effects of secondhand tobacco smoke and smoking during pregnancy.The study investigated the association between secondhand tobacco smoke at an early age and presence of allergy or having sought care due to allergic symptoms in 4 year old children in Malmö, the biggest city in the county of Scania, Sweden. The findings revealed that children with hereditary risk for allergies and with presence of secondhand tobacco smoke during early life had highly increased odds of developing an allergy as compared to children with the presence of secondhand tobacco smoke at an early age who tended to be associated with a somewhat increased prevalence of reported allergies and allergic symptoms.

Studies on the effects of secondhand smoke on children disclose the fact that early exposure to secondhand smoking was associated with the development of asthma and wheezing episodes, allergic sensitization and sensitization to food allergens, and the development of atopic eczema. It was also found that if established asthma is present, secondhand tobacco smoke is associated with a more severe course. The study has brought forward another significant statistical result which states that parents who did not take part in the parental education program more often exposed their children to secondhand smoke as opposed to the parents who took part in them. There is a value in parental education in different forms, and it may lead to decreased exposure of the child.

The results of the study underline the implication that children with both a family history of allergies and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke is a risk group that prevention and intervention should pay extra attention to.

Reference:
Early exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and the development of allergic diseases in 4 year old children in Malmö, Sweden – a study by Kristina Hansen, Elisabeth Mangrio, Martin Lindström, and Maria Rosvall carried out at the Scania University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. For more information, please visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2940890/?tool=pmcentrez 

Disclaimer: This article is written by a non-medical professional.