Environmental tobacco smoke and adult-onset asthma: a population-based incident case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
The authors assessed the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the development of asthma in adults.


METHODS
In the Pirkanmaa district of South Finland, all 21- to 63-year-old adults with new cases of asthma diagnosed during a 2.5-year period (n = 521 case patients, out of 441 000 inhabitants) and a random sample of control subjects from the source population (932 control subjects) participated in a population-based incident case-control study.


RESULTS
Risk of asthma was related to workplace ETS exposure (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26, 3.72) and home exposure (OR = 4.77; 95% CI = 1.29, 17.7) in the past year. Cumulative ETS exposure over a lifetime at work and at home increased the risk.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates for the first time that both cumulative lifetime and recent ETS exposures increase the risk of adult-onset asthma.
Jaakkola
Maritta S
MS
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. M.Jaakkola@bham.ac.uk
Piipari
Ritva
R
Jaakkola
Niina
N
Jaakkola
Jouni J K
JJ
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017132:Workplace
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution