How children of smokers can get sick: doctors warn

Everyone knows about the dangers of smoking. Nevertheless, the number of people with this bad habit continues to grow every year.

According to a study that was published in the scientific journal The Lancet, in 2019 the number of smokers in the world reached 1,14 billion people. In the 1990s, there were 0,99 billion. At the same time, smoking causes 7,69 million deaths per year. ^[1].

Tobacco smoke is dangerous not only for those who smoke, but also for the people around them. Children of smokers are at particular risk.

Passive smoking and children

According to the World Health Organization, 165 children die before the age of 5 due to diseases caused by passive smoking. And those that survive are at risk for developing COPD. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals, of which 40 are carcinogens and at least 250 are recognized as harmful to health. And compared with an adult, the child’s body is more susceptible to the harmful effects of these poisons. Therefore, children who grow up in families of smokers, as a rule, get sick more often than their peers who lead a healthy lifestyle.

Passive smoking affects the child’s body according to the same principle as active:

• prevents the development of strong immunity;
• affects all internal organs, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous systems, liver, kidneys, stomach;
• leads to disruption of metabolic processes;
• has a detrimental effect on brain cells, which may cause developmental delays, a decrease in intellectual abilities.

Doctors noticed that children in families of smokers are 15 times more likely to suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia and other bronchopulmonary diseases. And the wives of men who smoke are 4 times more likely to get cancer. ^[2].

Inhalation of tobacco smoke increases the risk of developing a number of diseases in a child:

• oncological;
• cardiovascular;
• ENT organs.

Infants exposed to passive smoking are at high risk for sudden infant death syndrome. Children of smokers cough more often, they are more difficult to tolerate respiratory diseases. Passive smoking can cause nasal congestion, headaches, eye irritation, hoarseness, and sore throats. These children are at increased risk of developing asthma and allergies. ^[3].

If passive smoking continues for years, then the child either has impaired lung function, or the organ is initially unable to develop properly and the risk of lung cancer increases. In addition, in families where one of the parents smokes, there is a higher risk that the child will also smoke.

How does smoking during pregnancy affect the health of the unborn child?

Not protected from toxic substances contained in cigarettes, and children who are still in the womb. And we are talking not only about women who smoke while carrying a child.

Passive smoking during pregnancy can lead to disturbances in the development of the fetus, in particular, provoke problems with the respiratory system. And if a baby inhales cigarette smoke, then he has an increased risk of sudden death syndrome. ^[4].

If a woman smokes during pregnancy, it can cause fetal death. Smokers are almost 12,5 times more likely to have miscarriages, including in late pregnancy. Cigarette smoke that crosses the placenta can paralyze the fetal respiratory system and cause convulsions. In addition, smoking mothers quite often give birth to babies with lesions of the central nervous system. ^[2].