Abstract
In a previous study we showed a relationship between involuntary smoking and increased frequency of cough and decreased pulmonary function in teenage athletes. In order to further examine this relationship we performed a second study using a larger group (314 12-17 year old high school athletes) and an interviewing instrument developed by the American Thoracic Society (ATS-DLD). A structured interview assessed pulmonary symptoms, personal smoking habits and passive cigarette smoke exposure. All subjects performed forced expiratory maneuvers on a computer assisted portable spirometer. We measured forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and maximal mid-expiratory flow rate [FEF(25-75)]. The best of three acceptable measures was utilized. Of the 314 subjects, 3.2% were active smokers and were excluded. Of the remaining 304 athletes, 65% were currently exposed to involuntary smoking. We found, in multiple regression analyses, that exposure was significantly associated with lower FEV1 and lower FVC (p 0.05), independent of cough. The prevalence of cough was found to be five times as frequent in the exposed subjects. The two studies, taken together, establish the association of involuntary smoking with compromised airways function and cough in adolescent athletes. Pediatricians need to consider involuntary smoking in the differential diagnosis of chronic cough and decreased pulmonary function.
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Tsimoyianis, G., Feldman, J., Santiago, M. et al. ADVERSE PULMONARY EFFECTS OF INVOLUNTARY SMOKING ON ADOLESCENT ATHLETES. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 177 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00067