Passive smoking and childhood asthma. Urinary cotinine levels in children with asthma and in referents.
Passive exposure to tobacco smoke was assessed in children with asthma (age 3-15) and in referents. There was statistically significantly (P less than 0.0005) higher excretion of the nicotine metabolite, cotinine, in the urine of 49 children with asthma (geometric mean 10 ng/ml) compared with 77 referents (4.8 ng/ml). Maternal smoking was statistically significantly more prevalent among the asthmatics than among the referents (relative risk = RR = 2.6, 95% C1 = 1.2-5.3). In conclusion, the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in asthmatic children was higher than among healthy children, indicating that passive smoking may be a predisposing and/or aggravating factor for childhood asthma.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, General Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
S
S
Willers
E
E
Svenonius
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G
Skarping
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine