Vascular Dysfunction Even After 20 Years in Children Exposed to Passive Smoking

Abstract

Smoking, either active or passive, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk with passive smoking alone reported to have a 30% to 60% higher event rate.1–3 Endothelial dysfunction, as a biomarker of atherosclerotic progression, is known to be affected by smoking.4 Long-term effects of childhood exposure to passive smoking on endothelial dysfunction in later life remains poorly understood but, if addressed, this is an issue that would be important not only for medical reasons but also for social reasons such as public awareness and health recommendations. See accompanying article on page 1024 In the current issue, Juonala et al examined whether parental smoking in childhood is predictive of disrupted endothelial function (endothelium-dependent vasodilation) as assessed using brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) methods more than 20 years later when the subjects reached adulthood. To test this hypothesis, the authors used 2 large independent cohorts followed up since childhood with follow-up periods …