Passive smoking causes 30% of respiratory diseases in kids: Docs

Trichy: Almost 30% of the cases among children suffering from respiratory infections are due to passive smoking, say experts. Doctors said that children are very vulnerable to second-hand smoking and warned that apart from the risk of younger population contracting lung infections and other allergies, they would also experience exacerbation of conditions like sinusitis, wheezing and asthma.

Based on his observations, director of Tamil Nadu Asthmaa and Allergy Research Foundation (TAARF) Dr G Kamal said that three out of every 10 children he treated for respiratory infection had been exposed to passive smoking. “Smoking indoors is extra dangerous as the smoke and the chemicals in the cigarette stays in the room for several hours and children get exposed more and suffer multiple issues. Sadly, a few fathers and relatives are still not aware of how they’re indirectly inflicting harm to their loved ones,” he said.

According to experts, cigarette smoke affects children differently. If a child has an existing health issue or a disease, he/ she might get affected due to smoking as early as in a month. But irrespective of the extent to which passive smoking can harm an individual, it will definitely cause a decline in the functioning of lung condition.

Children are affected by passive smoking because alveoli, which are an important part of the lungs, would be immature during the growing age and would get damaged because of the smoke inhaled. “The damage to alveoli at a young age would definitely affect the respiratory system of a child in the future,” assistant professor, department of ENT, KAP Viswantham Government Medical College, Dr A Satheesh Kumar told TOI.

Passive smoking though, doesn’t affect the heart of a child to a significant extent. But it’s said to have possible adverse effects on a woman’s heart.

Chief interventional cardiologist at Rana Hospital, Dr Senthilkumar Nallusamy, this year, treated three women below 45 years, who suffered heart attack. Heart attack among women is said to predominantly occur only after menopause. “All the three women had no risk factors and not even a family history of heart attack. But one common thing which all the three women had was that their husbands are habitual smokers,” Dr Senthilkumar said.