Exposure of children with cystic fibrosis to environmental tobacco smoke

Article Abstract:

Children who are passively exposed to cigarette smoke grow less and develop more respiratory tract infections than children from smoke-free homes, an effect that may be magnified in children with chronic respiratory problems. This was tested by evaluating 43 children with cystic fibrosis (a genetic disorder associated with chronic respiratory infections) who attended a summer camp. Twenty-four of the subjects came from homes with smokers; in most of these cases, the mother was one of the smokers. Medical histories were obtained for all children and parents completed questionnaires regarding smoking habits in the home. Pulmonary function tests and measurements of arm circumference and triceps skin-fold thickness were performed when the children entered camp, and two weeks later; results from the smoke-exposed children were compared with those from children whose parents did not smoke. Results showed that the normalized hospitalization rate (rate of hospitalizations, corrected for the child's age) was highly correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked at home. The peak expiratory flow rate (the maximum rate at which air can be expired) also varied as a function of the number of cigarettes smoked. Growth and nutrition were affected strongly by exposure to smoke, with relationships between the intensity of exposure, and height, weight, midarm circumference, and triceps skin-fold thickness. All these relationships were stronger for girls than boys. The greatest weight gains during the camp period were for children from homes where the most cigarettes were smoked. An extensive discussion is provided of the adverse ways cigarette smoke affects children with cystic fibrosis. Overall, the findings strongly suggest that exposure to tobacco smoke is deleterious to the growth and respiratory function of these already-compromised children. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Risk factors, Cystic fibrosis, Dwarfism, Pediatric respiratory diseases, Cystic fibrosis in children

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Association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and exacerbations of asthma in children

Article Abstract:

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke may aggravate symptoms of asthma in children. Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by recurrent attacks of shortness of breath with wheezing. Among 199 children with asthma whose urinary levels of cotinine were measured, 116 reported no exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, 53 were exposed by their mother or other individuals and 30 were exposed by their mother and other individuals. Cotinine is a metabolic product of nicotine that is excreted in the urine. The average level of cotinine in the urine was 10 times higher in the children who were exposed to cigarette smoke by their mother and other individuals than in those who reported no exposure. Children exposed to cigarette smoke were more likely to experience severe symptoms of asthma than those not exposed.

Environmental aspects, Asthma in children, Childhood asthma

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Effect of pneumonia and whooping cough in childhood on adult lung function

Article Abstract:

Pneumonia during childhood may be associated with reduced lung function as an adult. Researchers in the UK evaluated 1,392 people born in 1958 to determine the relationship between childhood lung disease and adult lung function. Childhood pneumonia was associated with reduced lung function in early middle-age, even after administration of a drug to ease breathing. This relationship persisted after adjusting for smoking, wheezing, respiratory infection, asthma, and other factors.

Middle aged persons, Health aspects, Pneumonia in children, Childhood pneumonia, Whooping-cough, Whooping cough

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