Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with increased carotid artery intima-media thickness: the Bogalusa Heart Study

Secondhand smoke exposure can increase the risk of first ischemic stroke: A 10.7-year prospective cohort study in China

INTRODUCTION

Passive smoking is considered a major public health issue in China. Prospective evidence regarding the link between secondhand smoke (SHS) and ischemic stroke in China is scarce.

METHODS

The China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) study in Liuzhou City recruited 50,174 participants during 2004-2008. Of these 30,456 never-smokers were included in our study. The median follow-up period was 10.7 years. The incidence of ischemic stroke was obtained through the China Disease Surveillance Points (DSP) system and the Health Insurance (HI) database. Cox proportional risk models were used to evaluate the association between SHS exposure and ischemic stroke.

RESULTS

During 320,678 person-years of follow-up, there were 2059 patients with ischemic stroke observed and the incidence of ischemic stroke was 6.42 per thousand person-years. Participants exposed to SHS daily faced a 21 % higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR = 1.21, 95 %CI: 1.09-1.34) compared to those exposed to SHS less than once a week. Subgroup analyses revealed that daily SHS exposure was linked to heightened risk of ischemic stroke among women, non-employed, and non-weekly tea drinkers.

CONCLUSIONS

Daily SHS exposure was associated with higher risks of ischemic stroke. Proactive tobacco control strategies are necessary to decrease the risk of ischemic stroke in never smokers.

Exposure to parental smoking and cardiac structure and function in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The relationship between childhood tobacco smoke exposure and cardiac structure and function in midlife is unclear. We investigated the association between parental smoking with cardiac structure and function in adulthood.

METHODS

1250 participants (56.5% female) from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study who had data on parental smoking and/or serum cotinine, a biomarker of exposure to tobacco smoke, at baseline 1980 (age 3-18 years) and echocardiography performed in 2011. Parental smoking hygiene (i.e., smoking in the vicinity of children) was categorized by parental smoking and serum cotinine levels in offspring. Dimensions of the left ventricle, diastolic and systolic function, and cardiac remodeling were used as outcomes. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, and covariates (blood pressure (BP), serum lipids, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking (only in adulthood)) in childhood and adulthood.

RESULTS

Parental smoking was not associated with systolic or diastolic function in adulthood. Participants exposed to parental smoking (odds ratio (OR) 1.90, 95%CI 1.23-2.92), hygienic parental smoking (OR 1.74, 95%CI 1.12-2.71), and non-hygienic parental smoking (OR 1.88, 95%CI 1.02-3.45) had higher odds of concentric remodeling (relative wall thickness >85th sex-specific percentile without left ventricular hypertrophy). These associations were attenuated after adjustment for child and adult covariates in the non-hygienic parental smoking group.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to parental smoking in childhood was associated with a higher likelihood of concentric remodeling and thicker left ventricular and interventricular septal walls in midlife, which was not improved by parents who smoked hygienically. Parental smoking was not related to systolic or diastolic function in this relatively young population.

Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure and carotid intima-media thickness: Baseline data from the Aidai Cohort Study in Japan

INTRODUCTION

Epidemiological evidence regarding the relationship between smoking and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been limited in Asian populations. Employing baseline data from the Aidai Cohort Study, Japan, we evaluated the evidence in this cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Study subjects were 727 men aged 35-88 years and 1297 women aged 34-85 years. Information on smoking, SHS exposure, and confounders was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. An automated carotid ultrasonography device was used to measure the right and left CIMT. The greatest CIMT measurement in the left or right common carotid artery was considered the maximum CIMT, and a maximum CIMT >1.0 mm was indicative of carotid wall thickening. Age, alcohol consumption, leisure time physical activity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, waist circumference, employment, and education level were adjusted at one time.

RESULTS

The prevalence of carotid wall thickening was 13.0%. The prevalence of never smoking was 30.5% in men and 90.1% in women. Among those who had never smoked, the prevalence of never SHS exposure at home and work was 74.3% and 48.2% in men and 38.3% and 56.3% in women, respectively. Active smoking and pack-years of smoking were independently positively related to carotid wall thickening regardless of sex, although the association with current smoking in women was not significant. Independent positive relationships were shown between former smoking and pack-years of smoking and maximum CIMT in men but not in women. No significant relationships were found between SHS exposure at home and work and carotid wall thickening or maximum CIMT in either men or women.

CONCLUSIONS

Active smoking, especially pack-years of smoking, was positively associated with carotid wall thickening in both sexes. Such positive associations with maximum CIMT were found only in men; however, interactions between smoking and sex were not significant.

Involuntary tobacco smoke exposures from conception to 18 years increase midlife cardiometabolic disease risk: a 40-year longitudinal study

Few population studies have sufficient follow-up period to examine early-life exposures with later life diseases. A critical question is whether involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke from conception to adulthood increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) in midlife. In the Collaborative Perinatal Project, serum-validated maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSP) was assessed in the 1960s. At a mean age of 39 years, 1623 offspring were followed-up for the age at first physician-diagnoses of any CMDs, including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. Detailed information on their exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in childhood and adolescence was collected with a validated questionnaire. Cox regression was used to examine associations of in utero exposure to MSP and exposure to ETS from birth to 18 years with lifetime incidence of CMD, adjusting for potential confounders. We calculated midlife cumulative incidences of hyperlipidemia (25.2%), hypertension (14.9%), diabetes (3.9%), and heart disease (1.5%). Lifetime risk of hypertension increased by the 2nd -trimester exposure to MSP (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.29, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.65), ETS in childhood (1.11, 0.99-1.23) and adolescence (1.22, 1.04-1.44). Lifetime risk of diabetes increased by joint exposures to MSP and ETS in childhood (1.23, 1.01-1.50) or adolescence (1.47, 1.02-2.10). These associations were stronger in males than females, in never-daily smokers than lifetime ever smokers. In conclusion, early-life involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke increases midlife risk of hypertension and diabetes in midlife.

The Association of Lung Function and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in a Japanese Population: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Community-Based Cohort Study

AIM

Impaired lung function is associated with atherosclerotic vascular events. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis. However, few studies have examined the association between lung function and cIMT among never smokers or individuals stratified by age. We investigated the association between lung function and cIMT in the Japanese population.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3,716 men and 8,765 women aged 20 years or older living in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Lung function was evaluated using forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) was measured using spirometry. The maximum common carotid artery was measured using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. An analysis of covariance was used to assess associations between lung function and cIMT and adjusted for potential confounders. A linear trend test was conducted by scoring the categories from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest) and entering the score as a continuous term in the regression model.

RESULTS

After adjusting for potential confounders including passive smoking, lower FEV1 and FVC were associated with higher cIMT in both men and women (P＜0.001 for linear trend). This association was confirmed even when we restricted our study to never smokers. Furthermore, even when we stratified by age, an inverse association between lung function and cIMT was confirmed in middle-aged (40-64 years) and elderly participants (65-74 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower lung function was associated with higher cIMT in the Japanese population independent of age and smoking. Assessment of atherosclerosis or lung function may be required for individuals with lower lung function or atherosclerosis.

Effects of chronic secondhand smoke exposure on cardiovascular regulation and the role of soluble epoxide hydrolase in mice

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with an estimated 80% of SHS-related deaths attributed to cardiovascular causes. Public health measures and smoking bans have been successful both in reducing SHS exposure and improving cardiovascular outcomes in non-smokers. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors have been shown to attenuate tobacco exposure-induced lung inflammatory responses, making them a promising target for mitigating SHS exposure-induced cardiovascular outcomes. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine 1) effects of environmentally relevant SHS exposure on cardiac autonomic function and blood pressure (BP) regulation and 2) whether prophylactic administration of an sEH inhibitor (TPPU) can reduce the adverse cardiovascular effects of SHS exposure. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice (11 weeks old) implanted with BP/electrocardiogram (ECG) telemetry devices were exposed to filtered air or 3 mg/m3 of SHS (6 hr/d, 5 d/wk) for 12 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of recovery in filtered air. Some mice received TPPU in drinking water (15 mg/L) throughout SHS exposure. BP, heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and BP variability were determined monthly. Results: SHS exposure significantly decreased 1) short-term HRV by ∼20% (p < 0.05) within 4 weeks; 2) overall HRV with maximum effect at 12 weeks (-15%, p < 0.05); 3) pulse pressure (-8%, p < 0.05) as early as week 4; and 4) BRS with maximum effect at 12 weeks (-11%, p < 0.05). Four weeks of recovery following 12 weeks of SHS ameliorated all SHS-induced cardiovascular detriments. Importantly, mice exposed to TPPU in drinking water during SHS-related exposure were protected from SHS cardiovascular consequences. Discussion: The data suggest that 1) environmental relevant SHS exposure significantly alters cardiac autonomic function and BP regulation; 2) cardiovascular consequences from SHS can be reversed by discontinuing SHS exposure; and 3) inhibiting sEH can prevent SHS-induced cardiovascular consequences.

Fetal and Childhood Exposure to Parental Tobacco Smoking and Arterial Health at Age 10 Years

BACKGROUND

Exposure to parental tobacco smoking during fetal life and childhood is associated with adverse cardiovascular health outcomes. It is not known whether these adverse parental lifestyle exposures are also associated with changes in the structure and function of the carotid arteries in children aged 10 years.

METHODS

In a population-based prospective cohort study among 4,639 healthy children, we examined the associations of fetal exposure to maternal (no, first trimester only, continued), paternal (no, yes), and combined parental tobacco smoking (nonsmoking parents, mother only, father only, both parents smoked) with carotid intima-media thickness and distensibility at 10 years. We also assessed the associations of exposure to any parental tobacco smoking at ages 6 and 10 years with these outcomes.

RESULTS

Compared with no exposure, fetal exposure to continued maternal smoking was not associated with carotid intima-media thickness (-0.04 standard deviation score (SDS); 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.13, 0.05); and distensibility (0 SDS, 95% CI: -0.09, 0.09) at age 10 years. Fetal exposure to two smoking parents was also not associated with carotid intima-media thickness (-0.07 SDS, 95% CI: -0.16, 0.02) and distensibility (0 SDS, 95% CI: -0.09, 0.10) at this age. Exposure to any parental smoking during childhood also was not associated with these outcomes at age 10 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to parental tobacco smoking during fetal life and childhood was not associated with markers of arterial health in children aged 10 years. Prevention strategies aiming at minimizing smoke exposure later in life are still relevant regarding arterial health.

Relationship between childhood secondhand smoke exposure and the occurrence of hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease among Chinese non-smoking women: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during childhood on type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease among Chinese non-smoking women.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, the SHS exposure data in childhood were obtained using a questionnaire survey. Self-reported childhood SHS exposure was defined as the presence of at least one parent who smoked during childhood.

RESULTS

Of the 6522 eligible participants, 2120 Chinese women who had never smoked were assessed. The prevalence of SHS exposure in the entire population was 28.1% (596). SHS exposure during childhood was not significant for the standard risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (p=0.628) and hypertension (p=0.691). However, SHS was positively associated with hyperlipidaemia (p=0.037) after adjusting for age, obesity, education status, physical activity, alcohol consumption, current SHS exposure status, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. In addition, childhood SHS increased the occurrence of coronary heart disease (p=0.045) among non-smokers after further adjusting for hyperlipidaemia.

CONCLUSION

SHS exposure during childhood is associated with prevalent hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease in adulthood among non-smoking Chinese women.

Traffic-related air pollution is associated with glucose dysregulation, blood pressure, and oxidative stress in children

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. Antecedents likely begin in childhood and whether childhood exposure to air pollution plays a contributory role is not well understood.

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether children's exposure to air pollution is associated with markers of risk for metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress, a hypothesized mediator of air pollution-related health effects.

METHODS

We studied 299 children (ages 6-8) living in the Fresno, CA area. At a study center visit, questionnaire and biomarker data were collected. Outcomes included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), urinary 8-isoprostane, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and BMI. Individual-level exposure estimates for a set of four pollutants that are constituents of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) - the sum of 4-, 5-, and 6-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAH456), NO₂, elemental carbon, and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) - were modeled at the primary residential location for 1-day lag, and 1-week, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year averages prior to each participant's visit date. Generalized additive models were used to estimate associations between each air pollutant exposure and outcome.

RESULTS

The study population was 53% male, 80% Latinx, 11% Black and largely low-income (6% were White and 3% were Asian/Pacific Islander). HbA1c percentage was associated with longer-term increases in TRAP; for example a 4.42 ng/m³ increase in 6-month average PAH456 was associated with a 0.07% increase (95% CI: 0.01, 0.14) and a 3.62 μg/m³ increase in 6-month average PM_2.5 was associated with a 0.06% increase (95% CI: 0.01, 0.10). The influence of air pollutants on blood pressure was strongest at 3 months; for example, a 6.2 ppb increase in 3-month average NO₂ was associated with a 9.4 mmHg increase in SBP (95% CI: 2.8, 15.9). TRAP concentrations were not significantly associated with anthropometric or adipokine measures. Short-term TRAP exposure averages were significantly associated with creatinine-adjusted urinary 8-isoprostane.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest that both short- and longer-term estimated individual-level outdoor residential exposures to several traffic-related air pollutants, including ambient PAHs, are associated with biomarkers of risk for metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress in children.

Establishing reference values for macro- and microvascular measurements in 4-to-5 year-old children of the ENVIRONAGE prospective birth cohort

Cardiovascular risk factors are usually better tolerated, and can therefore be perceived as less harmful, at a young age. However, over time the effects of these adverse factors may persist or accumulate and lead to excess morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases later in life. Until now, reference values for the basic cardiovascular health characteristics of 4-to-6 year-old children are lacking. Within a follow-up study of the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGE) birth cohort we assessed various cardiovascular measurements in 288 children aged 4–5 years. For the macrovasculature, we measured their blood pressure and examined the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT), the arterial elasticity (including the pulse-wave velocity (PWV), carotid distensibility (DC) and compliance (CC) coefficients), the carotid β stiffness index (SIβ) and Young’s Elastic Modulus (YEM). Retinal microvascular traits included the Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent (CRAE) and Central Retinal Venular Equivalent (CRVE). Age of the study population averaged (±SD) 4.2 (±0.4 years. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 97.9 (±8.1) mmHg and 54.7(±7.6) mmHg, respectively. CIMT for the total population averaged 487.1 (±68.1) µm. The average stiffness values for DC, CC, SIβ, and PWV were 78.7 (±34.2) 10⁻³/kPa, 1.61 (±0.59) mm²/kPa and 4.4 (±2.4), and 3.7 m/s (±0.9) respectively. The mean determined for YEM was 163.2 kPa (±79.9). Concerning the microvasculature, the average CRAE was 180.9 (±14.2) µm and the corresponding value for CRVE was 251.0 (±19.7) µm. In contrast to the macrovasculature, a significant gender-related difference existed for the microvasculature: in boys, both the CRAE (178.8 µm vs 182.6 µm; p = 0.03) and CRVE (247.9 µm vs 254.0 µm; p = 0.01) were narrower than in girls. We have provided reference values for young children to understand changes in the early cardiovascular health trajectory. Establishing these reference values of cardiovascular phenotypes at this young age is necessary to develop targeted health promotion strategies as well as for better understanding of the life course changes of both small and large blood vessels.

Relation of secondhand smoke exposure to vascular phenotypes in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Subclinical cardiovascular risks of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among children and adolescents remains insufficiently described.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 298 children and adolescents (48.0% male, body mass index: 27.0 ± 8.9 kg/m2), including 49 self-reported cases with SHS. Arterial elasticity and stiffness (distensibility, compliance, incremental elastic modulus [IEM]) were obtained via ultrasound imaging in the abdominal aorta, brachial, and carotid arteries. A one-way analysis of variance compared differences between groups, and multiple linear regression adjusted for covariates.

RESULTS

SHS was associated with lower abdominal aorta diameter distensibility (aDD) (13.4 ± 3.6% vs. 16.0 ± 5.2%, p = 0.009) and abdominal aorta cross-sectional distensibility (aCSD) (28.8 ± 8.3% vs. 35.1 ± 12.2%, p = 0.009), as well as higher abdominal aorta IEM (aIEM) (1241 ± 794 vs. 935 ± 388 mmHg, p = 0.001). After adjustment for covariates, aDD (p = 0.047), aCSD (p = 0.040), and aIEM (p = 0.017) remained significant; this significance persisted with the additional adjustment of percent body fat. Measures of brachial and carotid compliance and distensibility were not associated with SHS.

CONCLUSIONS

SHS was associated with abdominal aorta stiffness; the majority of vascular measures within the brachial and carotid artery remained unaffected following adjustment for covariates, including hypertension and adiposity. SHS may predispose individuals to increased abdominal aorta stiffness, an artery previously reported to exhibit increased susceptibility to atherosclerosis.

Age Differences in the Relationship between Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis

Secondhand smoke (SHS), a common environmental exposure factor, has become a serious public health problem. Metabolic syndrome is another worldwide clinical challenge. Our study tried to determine the age differences in the relationship between SHS and the risk of metabolic syndrome. Studies were searched in PubMed and Web of Science from 11 November to 30 November 2018. Eighteen studies were finally included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The relationship between SHS and the risk indicators of metabolic syndrome was analyzed. The weighted mean difference (WMD) of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), and the standard mean difference (SMD) of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low- and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C, HDL-C) were calculated in a meta-analysis. SHS was positively associated with the level of insulin and WC. According to the subgroup analysis based on age difference, SHS was positively associated with FPG in the upper age group, and positively associated with LDL-C and negatively associated with HDL-C in the lower age group. BMI showed a more obvious positive correlation in the adults group than in the children and the teenagers group. In conclusion, the association of metabolic syndrome with SHS varies with age. When exposed to SHS, older people may be more susceptible to glucose metabolic disorder, but younger people may be more susceptible to lipid metabolic disorder.

Influence of environmental tobacco smoke on morphology and functions of cardiovascular system assessed using diagnostic imaging

Exposure to tobacco smoke is a significant problem of environmental medicine. Tobacco smoke contains over one thousand identified chemicals including numerous toxicants. Cardiovascular system diseases are the major cause of general mortality. The recent development of diagnostic imaging provided methods which enable faster and more precise diagnosis of numerous diseases, also those of cardiovascular system. This paper reviews the most significant scientific research concerning relationship between environmental exposure to tobacco smoke and the morphology and function of cardiovascular system carried out using diagnostic imaging methods, i.e. ultrasonography, angiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In the forthcoming future, the studies using current diagnostic imaging methods should contribute to the reliable documentation, followed by the wide-spreading knowledge of the harmful impact of the environmental tobacco smoke exposure on the cardiovascular system.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Preclinical Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in Toddlers

OBJECTIVE

To investigate relationships between secondhand smoke exposure in young children and several preclinical markers of cardiovascular risk that have been established as relevant to adult populations.

STUDY DESIGN

There were 139 children, 2-5 years of age, enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Secondhand smoke exposure was objectively determined by hair nicotine level; a comprehensive panel of clinical markers (morning blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, lipid profiles, inflammation) and research markers (markers of oxidation, endothelial stress, and endothelial repair) of cardiovascular risk status were assessed. Univariate and multivariate linear regression were used to evaluate relationships between secondhand smoke exposure and cardiovascular risk markers.

RESULTS

Hair nicotine levels were correlated directly with blood pressure and serum C-reactive protein, and inversely correlated with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and endothelial cell progenitor cell prevalence. In multivariate analyses, these relationships remained when controlled for age, sex, body mass index z-score, maternal education, and method of payment. Additionally, in multivariate analyses, hair nicotine level was significantly negatively correlated with total antioxidant capacity.

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the view that secondhand smoke exposure in the very young has a detectable relationship with several markers of cardiovascular risk, long before the emergence of clinical disease. Further studies to define mechanisms and strategies to prevent and mitigate these risks early in life are warranted.

Exposure to Parental Smoking in Childhood is Associated with High C-Reactive Protein in Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Aim: Children exposed to parental smoking are at increased long-term risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in adulthood. However, it has not been quantified if exposure to parental smoking in childhood is associated with adult systemic inflammation. This study aimed to determine if childhood exposure to parental smoking was associated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in adulthood.

Methods: This longitudinal analysis of 2,511 participants used data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, a prospective cohort of Finnish children. In 1980 or 1983, parents self-reported their smoking status and serum hsCRP was collected up to 31 years later in adulthood.

Results: Compared with children with non-smoking parents, the relative risk of developing high hsCRP (> 3 mg/L) in adulthood increased among those with 1 or both parents who smoked [relative risk (RR), 1.3; 95%confidence interval (CI), 1.0–1.8] after adjustment for socioeconomic status, cardiovascular risk factors, and smoking status in childhood and adulthood. Moreover, children exposed to mother smoking [RR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3–4.2] had highest risk of developing high hsCRP in adulthood compared with those exposed to father smoking [RR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2–2.3] and both parents smoking [RR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.9–2.0].

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that children exposed to parental smoking are at increased risk of having high hsCRP in adulthood. Limiting children's exposure to passive smoking may have long-term benefits on general low-grade inflammation.

Comparison of ultrasound-measured properties of the common carotid artery to tobacco smoke exposure in a cohort of Indonesian patients

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to use point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to investigate the relationship between tobacco smoke exposure and the characteristics of the common carotid artery (CCA). The effect of both primary and secondary smoking on CCA properties was evaluated.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cross-sectional study across 20 primary care clinics in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia in July 2016. Point of care ultrasound was performed on a convenience sample of Indonesian patients presenting to clinic. The CCA wall stiffness and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were measured during diastole and systole. These measurements were correlated with smoke exposure and cardiovascular disease.

RESULTS

We enrolled 663 patients in the study, with 426 patients enrolled in the smoking category and 237 patients enrolled in the second-hand smoke category. There was an overall positive correlation with the measured lifestyle factors and the ultrasound-measured variables in the group of individuals who smoked. For all variables, age seemed to contribute the most out of all of the lifestyle factors for the positive changes in CIMT and CCA wall stiffness.

CONCLUSION

Our data yielded correlations between CCA properties and cardiovascular risk, as well as between CIMT and arterial stiffness. We were also able to demonstrate an increase in thickness of the CIMT in patients who have been exposed by tobacco through the use of ultrasound. Further large scale studies comparing patients with multiple cardiac risk factors need to be performed to confirm the utility of ultrasound findings of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The relationship between husbands' health belief and environment tobacco smoke exposure among their pregnant wife

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between health belief structures of men and environment tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among pregnant women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional research was conducted on 120 smoking men who had pregnant wives. Data were gathered through a questionnaire that measured health belief structures related to pregnant women's exposure to cigarette's smoke including perceived susceptibility/severity, benefits, barriers and self-efficacy. Number of exposures to cigarette's smoke was defined by the number of smoked cigarettes in the presence of the pregnant wife.

RESULTS

The number of smoked cigarettes in the presence of pregnant wife had a negative relation with perceived susceptibility/severity and perceived benefits and a positive relation with perceived barriers. The number of smoked cigarettes in men had no relation with health belief constructs. Using multiple regression test showed the perceived barrier for not smoking was the strongest factor in men to anticipate the level of women's ETS exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study showed that the level of ETS exposure among pregnant women was dependent on men's health beliefs about the ETS exposure treats among pregnant women.

Can Pediatric Hypertension Criteria Be Simplified? A Prediction Analysis of Subclinical Cardiovascular Outcomes From the Bogalusa Heart Study

Prehypertension and hypertension in childhood are defined by sex-, age-, and height-specific 90th (or ≥120/80 mm Hg) and 95th percentiles of blood pressure, respectively, by the 2004 Fourth Report. However, these cutoffs are complex and cumbersome for use. This study assessed the performance of a simplified blood pressure definition to predict adult hypertension and subclinical cardiovascular disease. The cohort consisted of 1225 adults (530 men; aged 26.3-47.7 years) from the Bogalusa Heart Study with 27.1-year follow-up since childhood. We used 110/70 and 120/80 mm Hg for children (age, 6-11 years), and 120/80 and 130/85 mm Hg for adolescents (age, 12-17 years) as the simplified definition of childhood prehypertension and hypertension, respectively, to compare with the 2004 Fourth Report (the complex definition). Adult carotid intima-media thickness, pulse wave velocity, and left ventricular mass were measured using digital ultrasound instruments. Compared with normal blood pressure, childhood hypertensives diagnosed by the simplified definition and the complex definition were both at higher risk of adult hypertension with hazard ratio of 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.8-5.3) by the simplified definition and 3.2 (2.0-5.0) by the complex definition, high pulse wave velocity with 3.5 (1.7-7.1) and 2.2 (1.2-4.1), high carotid intima-media thickness with 3.1 (1.7-5.6) and 2.0 (1.2-3.6), and left ventricular hypertrophy with 3.4 (1.7-6.8) and 3.0 (1.6-5.6). The results were confirmed by reclassification or receiver operating curve analyses. The simplified childhood blood pressure definition predicts the risk of adult hypertension and subclinical cardiovascular disease equally as the complex definition does, which could be useful for screening hypertensive children to reduce risk of adult cardiovascular disease.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Few studies have evaluated the association between secondhand smoke (SHS) and subclinical cardiovascular disease among ethnically diverse populations. This study assesses the impact of SHS on inflammation and atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness, coronary artery calcification, and peripheral arterial disease).

METHODS AND RESULTS

We examined 5032 nonsmoking adults aged 45 to 84 years without prior cardiovascular disease participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) from 2000 to 2002. SHS exposure was determined by self-report, and urinary cotinine was measured in a representative subset (n=2893). The multi-adjusted geometric mean ratios (95% CIs) for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 comparing 407 participants with SHS ≥12 h/wk versus 3035 unexposed participants were 1.13 (1.02-1.26) and 1.04 (0.98-1.11), respectively. The multi-adjusted geometric mean ratio for carotid intima-media thickness was 1.02 (0.97-1.07). Fibrinogen and coronary artery calcification were not associated with SHS. The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (ankle-brachial index ≤0.9 or ≥1.4) was associated with detectable urinary cotinine (odds ratio, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.09-4.04) but not with self-reported SHS. Urinary cotinine was not associated with inflammation or carotid intima-media thickness.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite limited exposure assessment, this study supports the association of SHS exposure with inflammation and peripheral arterial disease.

Association of Secondhand Smoke With Stroke Outcomes

Background and Purpose—

Approximately half of never smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS). Smoking is a well-established stroke risk factor, yet associations between SHS, stroke, and poststroke mortality remain uncertain. We aimed to determine the prevalence of exposure to SHS among those with and without stroke and its impact on mortality.

Methods—

Data were obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 27 836 never smokers with/without self-reported stroke aged ≥18 years, sampled from 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2012, with linked mortality through 2010. Household exposure to SHS was determined by self-report; exposure severity was quantified by serum cotinine level. Independent relationships between SHS and all-cause mortality were assessed using Cox regression models, before and after adjusting for sociodemographics and comorbidities.

Results—

From 1988 to 1994 to 1999 to 2012, age-adjusted prevalence of exposure to SHS declined from 11.5% to 6.6% among survivors of stroke ( P =0.08), and 14.6% to 5.9% among persons without stroke ( P <0.01). Factors associated with high exposure to SHS were male sex, black race, ≤12th-grade education, poverty income ratio ≤200%, high alcohol intake, and history of myocardial infarction (all P <0.05). High exposure to SHS was associated with higher odds of previous stroke (odds ratio, 1.46; P =0.026). There was a dose-dependent relationship between exposure to SHS and all-cause mortality after stroke.

Conclusions—

Individuals with previous stroke have 50% greater odds to have been exposed to SHS; SHS is associated with a 2-fold increase in mortality after stroke. This study highlights the importance of obtaining exposure to SHS history and counseling patients and their families on the potential impact of SHS on poststroke outcomes.