Zsuzsanna Csákányi1, John Spangler2, Gábor Katona1. 1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Heim Pal Children's Hospital, 13 Delej utca, H-1089 Budapest, Hungary. 2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. Electronic address: jspangle@wakehealth.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Pediatric otolaryngology clinics have tremendous access to children with allergic conditions, yet no research has evaluated in this setting environmental tobacco smoke and the occurrence of atopic diseases. METHODS: Caregivers or parents of 201 consecutive patients in a Hungarian pediatric otolaryngology clinic were queried on otolaryngologic conditions; self-reported diagnoses of atopic diseases; and tobacco smoke exposure. RESULTS: A history of asthma was reported in 10.3% of children; 38.7% had at least one parent who smoked. Fifteen out of the 20 children with asthma (75.0%) had at least one parent who smoked. Having a diagnosis of hay fever and having a parent who smoked greatly increased the odds of having a diagnosis of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Second hand smoke exposure among children in an otolaryngology clinic was common, and was associated with co-existing atopic conditions. Pediatric otolaryngologists have an important opportunity to address parental smoking as part their care of children.
OBJECTIVES: Pediatric otolaryngology clinics have tremendous access to children with allergic conditions, yet no research has evaluated in this setting environmental tobacco smoke and the occurrence of atopic diseases. METHODS: Caregivers or parents of 201 consecutive patients in a Hungarian pediatric otolaryngology clinic were queried on otolaryngologic conditions; self-reported diagnoses of atopic diseases; and tobacco smoke exposure. RESULTS: A history of asthma was reported in 10.3% of children; 38.7% had at least one parent who smoked. Fifteen out of the 20 children with asthma (75.0%) had at least one parent who smoked. Having a diagnosis of hay fever and having a parent who smoked greatly increased the odds of having a diagnosis of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Second hand smoke exposure among children in an otolaryngology clinic was common, and was associated with co-existing atopic conditions. Pediatric otolaryngologists have an important opportunity to address parental smoking as part their care of children.
Authors: Noreen M Clark; Randall Brown; Christine L M Joseph; Elizabeth W Anderson; Manlan Liu; Melissa Valerio; Molly Gong Journal: J Clin Epidemiol Date: 2002-09 Impact factor: 6.437