Children exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) at home during early infancy have an increased risk for serious infections requiring hospitalization, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the May 27 Online First issue of Tobacco Control.
"Second-hand smoke ... exposure is a modifiable cause of ill health," write M.K. Kwok from the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong SAR, China, and colleagues.Previous research by Moshammer and colleagues suggests that passive smoking has a significant deleterious effect on lung function among children. Their study, which was published in the June 1, 2006, issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, examined more than 20,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years.
They found that maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second as well as a lower maximal expiratory flow among children. Passive smoking during childhood also reduced lung function in children though not to the same degree as in utero exposure to smoking.
Medscape News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
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