Exposure to Parental Smoking in Childhood Is Associated With Increased Risk of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque in Adulthood

Abstract

Background-The association between passive smoking exposure in childhood and adverse cardiovascular health in adulthood is not well understood. Using a 26-year follow-up study, we examined whether childhood exposure to passive smoking was associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaque in young adults. Methods and Results-Participants were from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (n=2448). Information on childhood exposure to parental smoking was collected in 1980 and 1983. Carotid ultrasound data were collected in adulthood in 2001 or 2007. Childhood serum cotinine levels from 1980 were measured from frozen samples in 2014 (n=1578). The proportion of children with nondetectable cotinine levels was highest among households in which neither parent smoked (84%), was decreased in households in which 1 parent smoked (62%), and was lowest among households in which both parents smoked (43%). Regardless of adjustment for potential confounding and mediating variables, the relative risk of developing carotid plaque in adulthood increased among those children with 1 or both parents who smoked (relative risk, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.8; P=0.04). Although children whose parents exercised good "smoking hygiene" (smoking parents whose children had nondetectable cotinine levels) had increased risk of carotid plaque compared with children with nonsmoking parents (relative risk, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-4.0; P=0.34), children of smoking parents with poor smoking hygiene (smoking parents whose children had detectable serum cotinine levels) had substantially increased risk of plaque as adults (relative risk, 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-9.8; P=0.002). Conclusions-Children

Geometry of the Carotid Artery and Its Association With Pathologic Changes in a Chinese Population

“…Considering clinical symptoms, 57.5% of patients had no symptoms and 42.5% showed clinical symptoms, including impaired movement, sensation, or language. Increased risk factors (e.g., current smoker, previous cardiovascular disease, previous cerebral vascular disease) have been previously reported in symptomatic patients (West et al, 2015;Niemann et al, 2017;Hoshino et al, 2018), and these traditional risk factors are closely related to carotid atherosclerosis (Redgrave et al, 2006;Virmani et al, 2006). We found that symptomatic patients were more likely to smoke (including present and ever) and have previous cardiovascular or cerebral vascular disease, despite the lack of significant differences in hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia between groups.…”

Features and risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis in a population with high stroke incidence in China

“…A report from the Young Finns Study indicated that offspring exposed to parental smoking in childhood had approximately twice the risk of having a carotid AS plaque in adulthood than did those with nonsmoking parents [ 49 ]. Carotid IMT in adulthood was greater in those exposed to smoking with both parents than in those whose parents did not smoke [ 50 ].…”

Tobacco, e-cigarettes, and child health

“…The evidence for the negative impact of childhood tobacco smoke exposure on cardiovascular health has been summarized in a scientific statement from the American Heart Association [35**]. A study in a Finnish population demonstrates how biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure, specifically cotinine, are valuable tools in providing strong evidence of linkage between childhood exposure to tobacco smoke and increased risk of cardiovascular disease [36**]. Use of serum cotinine levels instead of parental self-report of smoking increased the relative risk of developing carotid plaques in adulthood from 1.7 to 4.0.…”