[Exposure to tobacco and cotinine levels in children].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the exposure of children and their parents to cigarette smoke by measuring cotinine levels in saliva.


METHODS
A total of 151 children (84 males and 67 females) aged 15 days to 17 years from hospital and extrahospital practices.


METHODS
Questionnaire on exposure to cigarette smoke from their parents, saliva cotinine levels by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
Cotinine levels were higher in the passive smoker child than in the non-exposed child (p = 0.0001). A significant correlation was found between cotinine in the child and: a) total number of cigarettes smoked daily by both parents (p = 0.01); b) number of cigarettes smoked daily at home (p = 0.002), and c) number of cigarettes smoked at home in the 24 hours prior to sample obtention (p = 0.002). Higher levels of cotinine in the smoker parents than in the non-smoker parents were found (0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The passive smoker child has high cotinine levels in saliva which are directly related to the exposure degree.
Suárez López de Vergara
R G
RG
Centro de Salud San Agustín, La Laguna, Tenerife.
Galván Fernández
C
C
Oliva Hernández
C
C
Domenech Martínez
E
E
Barroso Guerrero
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003367:Cotinine / Q000032:analysis*; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D003367:Cotinine
Exposición al tabaco y niveles de cotinina en el niño.