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Passive smoking increases risk for several diseases, health problems
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Passive smoking appeared significantly associated with elevated risk for several types of medical conditions, according to study results.
“Our overview of systematic reviews of up-to-date epidemiological evidence suggests that passive smoking is significantly associated with an increasing risk of many diseases and health problems, especially diseases in children and cancers,” Shiyi Cao, PhD, of the School of Public Health at Tongji Medical College and Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and colleagues wrote. “This study provides comprehensive population-based evidence about toxic effect of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and should benefit developing health promotion strategies of smoking control. Stricter regulations against cigarette smoking should be formulated and implemented, because smoking harms not only own health but also the health of neighboring people.”
Cao and colleagues used the PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify studies of 25 diseases or health problems in which passive smoking was involved. Their analysis included 16 meta-analyses, which encompassed a combined 130 cohort studies, 159 case–control studies and 161 cross-sectional studies.
The investigators summarized quantitative outcomes of the association between passive smoking and the risk for certain diseases.
Cao and colleagues determined passive smoking was associated with an increased risk for invasive meningococcal disease among children (OR = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.63-2.92), cervical cancer (OR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.35-2.21), Neisseria meningitidis carriage (OR = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.19-2.36), Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage (OR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.33-2.07), lower respiratory infections in infancy (OR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.33-1.51) and food allergy (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12-1.83).
Other diseases linked with passive smoking included lower respiratory infections in infancy (OR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.33-1.51), food allergy (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12-1.83), childhood asthma (OR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.23-1.42), lung cancer (OR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.17-1.37), stroke (OR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.12-1.38), allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04–1.14) and allergic dermatitis (OR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12).
The researchers noted there was no significant association between passive smoking and Crohn's disease, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, invasive Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) disease, invasive pneumococcal disease, ulcerative colitis, and pharyngeal carriage for Hib. – by Jeff Craven
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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