HHS HealthBeat (April 26, 2012)

Toddlers, smoke and allergies

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study finds that 2-year-olds who were around secondhand smoke are more likely to have less lung function at 7 years of age. And researchers say some have more risk than others.

At the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Kelly Brunst looked at data on kids, secondhand smoke, and allergies:

“Young girls at age 2 who had been exposed to tobacco smoke and had more allergic sensitization showed 6 times the loss in lung function when they were 7, compared to non-sensitized girls and non-sensitized boys.”  (14 seconds)

Brunst says it’s another reason to keep kids away from smoke.

The study in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April 26, 2012