I find it surprising to find continued studies on secondhand smoke (SHS), sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). It seems like every study that comes out says the exact same thing. But perhaps there are still people out there who feel SHS is just a tool used to infringe on the rights of smokers in public places. It truly baffles the mind.
Okay, with that said...a recent study in the Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia [Jan;17(1):20-26] looked at ETS exposure on school age kids. They wanted to see if they had higher prevalency rates for respiratory diseases and symptoms (aka: respiratory morbidity). They looked at pre-natal maternal smoking and post-natal ETS exposure. They also observed the socioeconomic indicators to see what they might find. The study enrolled 313 kids from 4 public schools in Lisbon. The researchers stayed with the first and fourth grade classes. Okay, any guesses what they found?
"Well I'll be!" (to quote Gomer Pyle). Constant and others found that smoking exposure was bad for the kids. Wow, isn't this an amazing discovery? Okay, maybe not so much.
Roughly 41% of the homes had ETS exposure. This broke down as follows:
Maternal pre-natal smoking 18%
Maternal post-natal smoking 32%
Paternal smoking 38%
Children whose mothers smoked during their pregnancy and had both parents continue to smoke afterwards, had a higher incidence of wheezing. Children with a smoking Mom had a more frequent cough. All these results were significant.
Now, the researchers were not able to find any greater incidence of respiratory infections or asthma in children as a direct result of the child's parent's smoking status.
Interestingly, the smoking Dads had a lower education level and were in a less qualified occupation than the non-smoking fathers. This has also been born out in the literature, that smoking is a syndrome of the lesser educated. No offense intended, but rather just a well studied, no bones about it, scientific fact.
So how does this affect the everyday smoker? Well, don't smoke if you're pregnant and don't smoke around your kids, your nephews/nieces, or anyone else's kids for that matter. A better option though, would be to use this as a primary motivator to help you quit. There you go, if you were looking for one more reason to stop smoking, we just gave you one.
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Secondhand Smoke Effects on Pregnancy Outcomes
We've looked at studies that researched the effects of smoking on pregnant women and their babies. We all agree the results were less than desirable - low birth weights, high risk for bleeding during delivery, physical/physiological complications to the unborn child, learning and developmental difficulties, SIDS and the list goes on and on. What about secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure to pregnant women. Do their unborn children face the same hurdles?
A new study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) looked at this relationship. They evaluated nicotine in the maternal hair as a biomarker for SHS exposure of women who were either 1) nonsmoking, but exposed to SHS, 2) passive smokers, or 3) regular smokers. This study enrolled 210 pregnant women.
There results showed that women exposed to prenatal SHS had a much greater risk for delivering their baby preterm (early) and they were more likely to have immediate newborn complications when compared to nonexposed women. Now passive smoking mothers had children who were at a greater risk for developing respiratory distress complications and being admitted to the neonatal ICU. Interestingly, these were greater risks than were seen in children delivered from regular smoking mothers.
They concluded that passive smoking women and SHS exposed women with hair nicotine levels greater than .35 ng/ml were more likely to lower birth weight babies, shorter babies and preterm babies (1 week).
So if you're pregnant, don't feel bad about avoiding the smoke filled restaurants or any other venue that has cigarette smoke floating in the air. Let those protective instincts loose and get out of there. And if you are only a passive smoker and think that a couple of cigarettes here or there won't hurt your unborn child, think again. The evidence is there.
That's what we try to do here at this blog. We want to bring you the evidence so you're excuses will be taken away. They say ignorance is bliss. But in this case, ignorance could be disastrous for you and your child if you don't take the steps needed to bring about a healthy environment into your life.
Yet more proof that smoking is just flat out bad for you. So if there was ever a time to stop smoking, now would be the time. Here are some stop smoking tips to help you quit.
A new study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) looked at this relationship. They evaluated nicotine in the maternal hair as a biomarker for SHS exposure of women who were either 1) nonsmoking, but exposed to SHS, 2) passive smokers, or 3) regular smokers. This study enrolled 210 pregnant women.
There results showed that women exposed to prenatal SHS had a much greater risk for delivering their baby preterm (early) and they were more likely to have immediate newborn complications when compared to nonexposed women. Now passive smoking mothers had children who were at a greater risk for developing respiratory distress complications and being admitted to the neonatal ICU. Interestingly, these were greater risks than were seen in children delivered from regular smoking mothers.
They concluded that passive smoking women and SHS exposed women with hair nicotine levels greater than .35 ng/ml were more likely to lower birth weight babies, shorter babies and preterm babies (1 week).
So if you're pregnant, don't feel bad about avoiding the smoke filled restaurants or any other venue that has cigarette smoke floating in the air. Let those protective instincts loose and get out of there. And if you are only a passive smoker and think that a couple of cigarettes here or there won't hurt your unborn child, think again. The evidence is there.
That's what we try to do here at this blog. We want to bring you the evidence so you're excuses will be taken away. They say ignorance is bliss. But in this case, ignorance could be disastrous for you and your child if you don't take the steps needed to bring about a healthy environment into your life.
Yet more proof that smoking is just flat out bad for you. So if there was ever a time to stop smoking, now would be the time. Here are some stop smoking tips to help you quit.
Nicotine Replacement in Pregnancy
Congratulations. You're pregnant. But you still smoke...ugh! What are you going to do? This scenario plays out every day for thousands of women. Most women know that smoking has extremely hazardous effects on their unborn child. They might even know that smoking, while pregnant, increases their risk for bleeding during delivery. But how are they going to stop? The addiction seems too strong despite the motivation found right under their nose.
Many of these women have probably already tried to stop before, but were unsuccessful. So in an effort to protect their baby, they try to stop cold turkey. The last thing they want to do is put some other toxic pharmacutical in their body, so cold turkey is tried. And who knows, maybe this time, they'll beat the addiction without any help.
Well, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy evaluated the safety of nicotine replacement and it's effect on pregnancy outcomes. Forinash and others performed a 44-year literature search to find this answer. Their findings were simple.
The first treatment to be offered pregnant women is behavior modification - that should always be the first attempt. There are obviously, no deleterious side effects to the mom or the baby. This is different than simply quitting cold turkey. This is figuring out what cues trigger smoking, developing new habits/routines and discussing what may be at the root of the addiction. Not to mention an accountability program and help for when the cravings get their toughest. But after that, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) should be the next smoking cessation method offered. The researchers concluded this because NRT has a decreased risk for low birth weight and preterm delivery when compared to continued smoking in pregnant woman. They also state that NRT doesn't seem to increase the malformation risk to the child.
But as always, pregnant women should consult with their physicians prior to beginning any smoking cessation treatment. NRT is a pregnancy category D medication. Here's a good place to look for more on quit smoking aids.
Many of these women have probably already tried to stop before, but were unsuccessful. So in an effort to protect their baby, they try to stop cold turkey. The last thing they want to do is put some other toxic pharmacutical in their body, so cold turkey is tried. And who knows, maybe this time, they'll beat the addiction without any help.
Well, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy evaluated the safety of nicotine replacement and it's effect on pregnancy outcomes. Forinash and others performed a 44-year literature search to find this answer. Their findings were simple.
The first treatment to be offered pregnant women is behavior modification - that should always be the first attempt. There are obviously, no deleterious side effects to the mom or the baby. This is different than simply quitting cold turkey. This is figuring out what cues trigger smoking, developing new habits/routines and discussing what may be at the root of the addiction. Not to mention an accountability program and help for when the cravings get their toughest. But after that, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) should be the next smoking cessation method offered. The researchers concluded this because NRT has a decreased risk for low birth weight and preterm delivery when compared to continued smoking in pregnant woman. They also state that NRT doesn't seem to increase the malformation risk to the child.
But as always, pregnant women should consult with their physicians prior to beginning any smoking cessation treatment. NRT is a pregnancy category D medication. Here's a good place to look for more on quit smoking aids.
Secondhand Smoke and Your Unborn Child
The topic of secondhand smoke (SHS) continues to receive much controversy. Smoking proponents (yes, there are some out there), actually deny the possibility that smoking may be dangerous to someone else. They say the studies detailing the dangers of SHS are flawed, bogus, or just bad science.
The scientific community would choose to differ in that opinion. Most studies are designed with a great attention to detail in hopes of deriving an outcome of scientific or medical merit. Either way, researchers hope to learn something from the experiment or study, even if it does not prove their supposition.
The smoking community does not bother to produce any study that may produce the outcome that smoking is safe for a particular subgroup of the population. Rather, they choose to deny the results brought to publication that say smoking is bad for just about everyone who gets exposed to it.
Given that background, enter in today's study which looked for a link between SHS and low birth weight (LBW) babies and preterm deliveries of babies. This is not breaking news, of course. This link has been known for quite some time and in fact, many resources report smoking as a primary risk factor for these two conditions. So it's not surprising to find a 6.5% higher incidence in the number of preterm deliveries for women who were exposed to SHS. There was also a 5% greater prevalence for LBW babies in women exposed to SHS. Both these results were statistically significant, meaning the difference between the control group and exposed group was not brought about by chance, but rather by something unique to the one group versus the other.
What does this mean for the child? Basically, it means the child will have a harder time of it. Many of the child's organ systems may not be fully developed, depending on when it was delivered. The lungs are the last organ to develop, so the baby may find itself on a respirator as it begins its fragile life. Once on the ventilator, the baby is exposed to infectious organisms and potentially dangerous intrathoracic pressures that can cause damage to their lungs and heart. Add bleeding and development of scar tissue to the equation, as these are always risk factors when being placed on a respirator. LBW babies also are at risk for many bad outcomes. Just imagine giving birth to a 3 pound child who should weigh 6 pounds. They will be markedly weaker and have greater difficulty overcoming infection and feeding challenges. Many of these babies may be born with physical deficits and abnormalities not easily outgrown.
So before you smoke around your pregnant wife, remember that your cigarette, cigar or pipe may be hurting your unborn child. Ask yourself if it is worth the risk. If you're not a real "touchy-feely" person then ask yourself if it's worth the expense. Trust me, you don't want to see the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) bill when you leave, even with insurance. Not to mention, not everyone has a neonatal ICU in their local hospital. Many have to travel to the nearest metropolitan area for care. As we all know, hotel and restaurant bills are not covered by insurance.
The old saying goes, "Nobody is denying your right to smoke, just don't deny my right to breathe clean air". In this case, give your kid a hand and take the smokes outside. Better yet, get stop smoking help and finally kick the habit. Enjoy the added benefits of improved health in your older age and you'll have a better lifestyle when you get older; no inhalers or portable oxygen to carry around. Finally, you're setting a great example for your children to follow. It's a win-win for everybody.
The scientific community would choose to differ in that opinion. Most studies are designed with a great attention to detail in hopes of deriving an outcome of scientific or medical merit. Either way, researchers hope to learn something from the experiment or study, even if it does not prove their supposition.
The smoking community does not bother to produce any study that may produce the outcome that smoking is safe for a particular subgroup of the population. Rather, they choose to deny the results brought to publication that say smoking is bad for just about everyone who gets exposed to it.
Given that background, enter in today's study which looked for a link between SHS and low birth weight (LBW) babies and preterm deliveries of babies. This is not breaking news, of course. This link has been known for quite some time and in fact, many resources report smoking as a primary risk factor for these two conditions. So it's not surprising to find a 6.5% higher incidence in the number of preterm deliveries for women who were exposed to SHS. There was also a 5% greater prevalence for LBW babies in women exposed to SHS. Both these results were statistically significant, meaning the difference between the control group and exposed group was not brought about by chance, but rather by something unique to the one group versus the other.
What does this mean for the child? Basically, it means the child will have a harder time of it. Many of the child's organ systems may not be fully developed, depending on when it was delivered. The lungs are the last organ to develop, so the baby may find itself on a respirator as it begins its fragile life. Once on the ventilator, the baby is exposed to infectious organisms and potentially dangerous intrathoracic pressures that can cause damage to their lungs and heart. Add bleeding and development of scar tissue to the equation, as these are always risk factors when being placed on a respirator. LBW babies also are at risk for many bad outcomes. Just imagine giving birth to a 3 pound child who should weigh 6 pounds. They will be markedly weaker and have greater difficulty overcoming infection and feeding challenges. Many of these babies may be born with physical deficits and abnormalities not easily outgrown.
So before you smoke around your pregnant wife, remember that your cigarette, cigar or pipe may be hurting your unborn child. Ask yourself if it is worth the risk. If you're not a real "touchy-feely" person then ask yourself if it's worth the expense. Trust me, you don't want to see the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) bill when you leave, even with insurance. Not to mention, not everyone has a neonatal ICU in their local hospital. Many have to travel to the nearest metropolitan area for care. As we all know, hotel and restaurant bills are not covered by insurance.
The old saying goes, "Nobody is denying your right to smoke, just don't deny my right to breathe clean air". In this case, give your kid a hand and take the smokes outside. Better yet, get stop smoking help and finally kick the habit. Enjoy the added benefits of improved health in your older age and you'll have a better lifestyle when you get older; no inhalers or portable oxygen to carry around. Finally, you're setting a great example for your children to follow. It's a win-win for everybody.
Smoking and Women
The World Health Organization (WHO) is wanting to draw our attention to smoking prevalence in women. Smoking rates in women have climbed over the last couple of decades, adding to the already epidemic status of smoking around the world. There are roughly 200 million women smokers worldwide. It is estimated just over 17% of the women in the US are smokers.
Everyone knows that smoking is related to such horrible diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and emphysema. Few know that smoking is a common risk factor for many other diseases as well, many of which apply strictly to women. Examples would include placental abruption during pregnancy, miscarriage, prematurity of infants, nursing difficulties and cervical cancer. As you might expect by looking at this abbreviated list, smoking has been linked to many health problems facing women. It is reported that cigarette smoking kills over 170,000 women in the US each year, alone.
Most smokers want to quit smoking and hope to quit before getting married, becoming pregnant, or some other life changing event. Unfortunately, most smokers try to quit smoking up to 7 times, before actually quitting. This is why smoking is viewed clinically as a chronic addictive condition. Of course at the root of this addiction is nicotine.
Many people try to quit smoking as casually as they picked up the habit. Healthcare providers and smoking cessation counselors will tell you this will only lead the smoker into a cycle of disappointment and relapse. Very few smokers even try one of the many stop smoking aids that are currently available in the marketplace today. This is why it is so important to visit your physician or other healthcare professional to discuss the many options available to the smoker. There is no shame in this, as smoking has been compared to cocaine and opium in regards to its addictive properties.
Quitting cold turkey only offers about a 3-5% success rate, while most of the current stop smoking aids will double that chance of success. When adding some kind of counseling or behavior modification program, the success rate jumps into the 20% range.
Many of the health related risks associated with smoking can be mitigated once the habit has been broken. The risks related to an adverse outcome during pregnancy are dramatically reduced. Fertility challenges can also be decreased in the absence of smoking. Of course, the lessened risk to the unborn children are also a wonderful benefit to stopping smoking. Then, there are the long term benefits seen in the usual form of improved cardiovascular and pulmonary health.
So go ahead and get some stop smoking help. It's not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of how powerful the nicotine addiction can be.
Everyone knows that smoking is related to such horrible diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and emphysema. Few know that smoking is a common risk factor for many other diseases as well, many of which apply strictly to women. Examples would include placental abruption during pregnancy, miscarriage, prematurity of infants, nursing difficulties and cervical cancer. As you might expect by looking at this abbreviated list, smoking has been linked to many health problems facing women. It is reported that cigarette smoking kills over 170,000 women in the US each year, alone.
Most smokers want to quit smoking and hope to quit before getting married, becoming pregnant, or some other life changing event. Unfortunately, most smokers try to quit smoking up to 7 times, before actually quitting. This is why smoking is viewed clinically as a chronic addictive condition. Of course at the root of this addiction is nicotine.
Many people try to quit smoking as casually as they picked up the habit. Healthcare providers and smoking cessation counselors will tell you this will only lead the smoker into a cycle of disappointment and relapse. Very few smokers even try one of the many stop smoking aids that are currently available in the marketplace today. This is why it is so important to visit your physician or other healthcare professional to discuss the many options available to the smoker. There is no shame in this, as smoking has been compared to cocaine and opium in regards to its addictive properties.
Quitting cold turkey only offers about a 3-5% success rate, while most of the current stop smoking aids will double that chance of success. When adding some kind of counseling or behavior modification program, the success rate jumps into the 20% range.
Many of the health related risks associated with smoking can be mitigated once the habit has been broken. The risks related to an adverse outcome during pregnancy are dramatically reduced. Fertility challenges can also be decreased in the absence of smoking. Of course, the lessened risk to the unborn children are also a wonderful benefit to stopping smoking. Then, there are the long term benefits seen in the usual form of improved cardiovascular and pulmonary health.
So go ahead and get some stop smoking help. It's not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of how powerful the nicotine addiction can be.
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