title: Parental smoking, nasal resistance and rhinitis in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether parent-reported perennial rhinitis or objectively measured nasal resistance is more common in children from smoking families. To assess tonsillar size, nasopharyngeal airway and upper airway surgery frequency in children with smoking and non-smoking parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-five children (age 3-6 years, median 68 months) participated in this prospective cross-sectional clinical study. History of nasal symptoms was obtained, and all underwent an ear-nose-throat examination, anterior rhinomanometry and a lateral cephalogram. Regular smoking by either parent and their child's snoring was inquired about with a parental questionnaire. We compared children with a parental smoker and children without a parental smoker in the family.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking in the family led to increased risk for perennial rhinitis in the children up to 2.76-fold (aOR, 95%CI 1.00-7.67), but with no difference in nasal resistance between children from smoking and non-smoking households. Neither tonsillar size, nasopharyngeal airway nor upper airway surgery was associated with parental smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental smoking is associated with symptoms of perennial rhinitis in children. The possible role of environmental tobacco smoke should be taken into account in parent counselling and in evaluation of children being treated for symptoms of rhinitis and nasal obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Virkkula
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liukkonen
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Suomalainen
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Aronen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirjavainen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkäranta
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010290:Parents; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D025363:Rhinomanometry; D020182:Sleep Apnea, Central; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution