SECONDHAND SMOKE EXPOSURE INCREASES ASTHMA RISK IN CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

Tue 20 September 2022:

Children are more likely to develop asthma if either of their parents smoked cigarettes regularly as children or inhaled secondhand smoke, according to a recent study,

The international team of researchers also noted in the study, which was released in the European Respiratory Journal, that a phenomenon known as “transgenerational effect” can be discovered in the effects of smoking and the respiratory issues it causes over the course of the following two generations.

There were researchers on the team from Sri Lanka, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

“We found that the risk of non-allergic asthma in children increases by 59% if their fathers were exposed to secondhand smoke in childhood, compared to children whose fathers were not exposed.”

“The risk was even higher, at 72%, if the fathers were exposed to secondhand smoke and went on to smoke themselves,” said Jiacheng Liu, from Melbourne University, told The Guardian.

Dr Dinh Bui, co-author of the study, believes that the study will be important in raising awareness regarding the harmful impacts of the smoking and can even result in “real change”.

“Our findings show how the damage caused by smoking can have an impact not only on smokers but also their children and grandchildren,” she said while explaining the reasons behind the study.

“Paternal smoke exposure before the age of 15 years is a major risk factor for non-allergic asthma.”

The study discussed several instances where smoking affected epigenetic changes, and this was identified as the most likely cause of the rise in asthma risk in subsequent generations.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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