title: Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with increased carotid artery intima-media thickness: the Bogalusa Heart Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure increases cardiovascular disease risk. The objective of this study was to examine the association of SHS exposure in childhood and adulthood with adult arterial thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort consisted of 415 nonsmoking adults (301 whites and 114 blacks; ages 26.2-48.0 years) enrolled in 2004-2010. The arterial wall thickness was measured as common, bulb and internal carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). SHS exposure data in childhood and adulthood were obtained by a questionnaire survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased adult composite carotid IMT was significantly associated with SHS exposure (regression coefficient, β = 53.1 μm, p < 0.001) after adjusting for race, age, gender, education, income, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio, with blacks (β = 81.2 μm, p = 0.005) and whites (β = 38.9 μm, p = 0.017) showing the same direction of the association. Furthermore, the SHS exposure in childhood showed a relatively stronger association with increased carotid IMT than the exposure in adulthood based on standardized βs (0.180 vs. 0.106); the same trend in the difference between childhood and adulthood exposure was noted for duration of SHS exposure (0.186 vs. 0.145). The covariates-adjusted composite carotid IMT showed a significant increasing trend by the order of exposure status of none, adulthood only, childhood only and both (p for trend<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If the relationship is causal, the associations observed in this study suggest that more awareness should be raised on the dangers of SHS exposure during childhood so that its effect may be mitigated and controlled early in the cardiovascular disease process.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA. Electronic address: wchen1@tulane.edu.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; College of Life and Environment Sciences, Minzu University, Beijing, China.
authors: Miaoying
authors: M
authors: Yun
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Camilo
authors: C
authors: Fernandez
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Shengxu
authors: S
authors: Li
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Dianjianyi
authors: D
authors: Sun
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Chin-Chih
authors: CC
authors: Lai
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Yingxiao
authors: Y
authors: Hua
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Fu
authors: F
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Sathanur R
authors: SR
authors: Srinivasan
authors: Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Carolyn C
authors: CC
authors: Johnson
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors: Gerald S
authors: GS
authors: Berenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Arterial wall thickness; Childhood; Secondhand smoke