Children exposed to tobacco smoke at home have worse heart function as adults

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/aha-cet110220.php

 

News Release 9-Nov-2020
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020, presentation P1917
American Heart Association

 

The more secondhand tobacco smoke children breathe at home while growing up, the higher chance they have of developing markers of decreased heart function as adults, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The meeting will be held virtually, Friday, November 13 - Tuesday, November 17, 2020, and is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science for health care worldwide.

"We already know from previous studies that children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have structural differences in their vascular systems as adults, such as thicker blood vessel walls and a higher risk of plaque buildup in the arteries," said Chigoze Ezegbe, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., lead author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. "In this study, we wanted to understand the impact of prolonged secondhand smoke exposure during childhood on heart function in adulthood."


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