Secondhand smoke exposure in infants influenced risk for asthma, rhinitis, eczema

Secondhand smoke exposure, in utero or during infancy, influenced the development of asthma and rhinitis in early childhood and impacted eczema at later ages, according to research presented at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology annual congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jesse Thacher, MSc, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues studied a birth cohort of 4,089 children. Repeated parental questionnaires were used to gather information on parental smoking habits, lifestyle factors and allergic disease symptoms. Overall and age-specific associations between secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure and allergic diseases at ages 1 to 16 years were assessed through estimating equations.

An overall increased risk for asthma up to 16 years (OR=1.45; 95% CI, 1.15-1.83) was associated with exposure to SHS in utero; rhinitis or eczema, however, showed no such association. The overall risk for asthma remained statistically significant after adjusting for parental smoking throughout childhood, and a dose-dependent pattern existed with SHS.

An overall increased risk for asthma (OR=1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.51), rhinitis (OR=1.18; 95% CI, 1.01-1.39) and eczema (OR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.45) up to 16 years was associated with exposure to SHS during infancy.

“When age-specific associations were examined, the increased risks related to SHS exposure in utero or during infancy were mostly confined to early childhood for asthma and rhinitis, while the risk for eczema appeared greatest at later ages,” the researchers reported.

For more information:

Thacher J. #1257. Presented at: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology annual congress 2014; June 7-11; Copenhagen, Denmark.

Disclosure:Healio Allergy/Immunology was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at this time.