Thirteen-year-olds who passively inhale tobacco smoke are more likely to have adverse artery lesions considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Although previous research has shown that secondhand smoke can harm blood vessels in adults, it has not yet been known whether it has a similar effect on the vessels of children and adolescents, comments lead author Dr Katariina Kallio from the University of Turku in Finland.
Her team’s research among 494 children found that those between the ages of 8 and 13 were most exposed to passive smoking at the age of 13, with significantly thickened artery walls and disturbances in their functioning. These changes are known to contribute to vascular hardening and atherosclerosis, which plays a significant role in the development of coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular problems.
The carotid wall was 7% in the teenagers who inhaled the most tobacco smoke. thicker than in adolescents least exposed to second-hand smoke, and the aortic wall – by 8%. fatter.
Moreover, with increasing exposure to tobacco smoke, the expansion of the brachial artery decreased in response to blood flow, which indicates that this vessel is less flexible. In teenagers inhaling the most smoke, it was 15 percent. smaller than those who breathed it the least.
It also turned out that children who were more exposed to passive smoking had higher levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB) in their blood, which is a component of bad cholesterol, i.e. the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) complex. This is another indicator of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Also, the ratio of apoB to apoA1 (apolipoprotein A1), a component of good cholesterol (ie, high density lipoprotein – HDL) was higher. And, according to previous research, it could be an even stronger harbinger of heart disease in the future than bad cholesterol levels.
According to Dr. Kallio, these studies indicate that children should not be exposed to secondhand smoke at all, as even a small exposure to tobacco smoke can harm their blood vessels. We must provide children with a smoke-free environment, the researcher emphasizes.
Her team’s research was part of a large-scale research project that began in 1990. Its aim is to better understand risk factors for coronary heart disease so that children can be better protected from avoidable environmental risks in the future.
The researchers assessed the exposure of children to tobacco smoke on the basis of the level of nicotine derivative, i.e. cotonine, in the blood. Its concentration allows you to assess the amount of tobacco smoke a given person has had contact with in recent days. In the majority of the study participants, such measurements were made 6 times a year. High-resolution ultrasound was used to assess the thickness of the arterial walls and the expansion of the brachial artery. (PAP)