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Parental Smoking and Childhood Asthma

Clinical Implications

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Treatments in Respiratory Medicine

Abstract

Environmental tobacco smoke and constituents are global risks for human health. Considerable evidence shows that environmental tobacco smoke exposure contributes to, and exacerbates, respiratory disorders. This review assesses the causal role of environmental tobacco smoke exposure for childhood respiratory disorders, and in particular asthma. Tobacco smoke and environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy have an effect upon lung function in newborn infants; exposure after birth also has an effect upon lung function. An effect upon bronchial responsiveness has been suggested but the evidence is not as strong as for lung function. From 1997 to 1999 a comprehensive set of systematic reviews concerning the relationship between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and respiratory health in children summarized the results from hundreds of published papers. The evidence for a causal relationship between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and asthmatic symptoms on the one hand, and between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and reduction in lung function on the other hand, was quite strong, whereas the evidence between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and development of allergy was much weaker. Here we present an overview of the effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure on lung health in children. A hypothesis has been put forward regarding upregulation of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells in relationship to mechanisms of tobacco smoke products (TSP)-induced pulmonary disease. It has also been reported that genetic variation makes part of the population especially vulnerable to environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy. Furthermore, there is a need for intervention to reduce environmental tobacco smoke exposure in young children, by educating parents and adolescents about the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure. Studies are needed to identify possible critical periods when environmental tobacco smoke exposure is more likely to induce harmful effects on lung health in young children in order to implement effective preventive strategies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this review. The authors have provided no information on sources of funding directly relevant to the content of this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Voksentoppen National Hospital of Children’s Asthma, Allergy and Chronic Lung Diseases, Klosterstiftelsen, Voksentoppen Research Institute for Paediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Chronic Lung Diseases and Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education, Ullveien 14, Oslo, N-0791, Norway

    Kai-Håkon Carlsen

  2. Section for Paediatric Allergology and Pneumologi, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Woman-Child, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen

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  1. Kai-Håkon Carlsen
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Correspondence to Kai-Håkon Carlsen.

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Carlsen, KH., Lødrup Carlsen, K.C. Parental Smoking and Childhood Asthma. Treat Respir Med 4, 337–346 (2005). https://doi.org/10.2165/00151829-200504050-00005

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