Heads-up, parents: if you're looking for a good excuse to quit smoking, then this new study might do that. According to the research, children with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke from parents are more likely to get hospitalized often and have poorer health than asthmatic kids who aren't.
The study was conducted by researchers of the Mayo Clinic. According to them, although there have already been many studies that establish how secondhand smoke exposure (SHS) is dangerous to children, especially those with asthma, the extent of its effects is not entirely clear.
The team reviewed more than 20 studies with no less than 420,000 children as participants overall. When compared to asthma kids who are not exposed to SHS, children who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in the household were at least 65% likely to ask for emergency care while over 80% of the will be hospitalized.
Asthma children who are around smoking parents may also have poorer health. Their risk of lung function went up to 3 times while wheezing, which is a common symptom for people with asthma, was over 30% higher.
If there's any good news, it's the fact that quitting secondhand smoking can help improve the health of these children by lowering emergency care and symptoms. Further, as children learn from their parents, parents who stop smoking may also prevent their kids with asthma from starting the same habit later in life.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects at least 230 million people around the world, says the World Health Organization (WHO). It occurs when certain triggers such as allergens and smoke from tobacco are inhaled and the lining of the bronchial tubes react by expanding. When this happens, the sufferer experiences episodes of coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness. Although it can no longer be cured, it can be properly managed beginning with minimizing or avoiding exposure to possible triggers.
