Respiratory Symptoms and ED Use in Non-Smoking Teens with Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure :

We are all aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke to infants and children, but the data about the impact on teens is scant. Merianos et al. (10.1542/peds.2018-0266) completed a recent study on tobacco smoke exposure and associated respiratory symptoms if a teen were living with a smoker or had been exposed to at least one hour of tobacco smoke in the past week. The authors collected data on 7,389 adolescents and found that those with smoke exposure from tobacco products were more likely to experience shortness of breath, difficulty exercising or wheeze after exercise, or even a dry cough at night. Increased duration of exposure, especially in the home, was associated with worse symptoms. The teens exposed to secondhand smoke even reported an overall lower quality of health. Those teens living with a smoker with more than one hour per week of smoke exposure were more likely to have an emergency department or urgent care visit for respiratory symptoms. The risk grew for those with more than one hour of exposure per week.  This study underscores the risk of second-hand smoke exposure.  Hopefully reading this study and the many others we have published over the years on the harm of primary and secondary smoking exposure will encourage you to work with your patients and families to address this important issue.