A new study shows that passive smokers exposed to tobacco smoke are at a higher risk of heart diseases that previously believed.
According to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session, people who are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, during childhood or adulthood, are at a higher risk of showing early signs of heart diseases.
According to researchers of the study, 26 percent of people who are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke show signs of coronary artery calcification.This percentage is only 18 percent when the general public is taken into consideration.
Previous studies have shown that second-hand tobacco smoke has causes a marked increase in cardiac events. However, authors say the study is the first to demonstrate a clear dose-response relationship between second-hand smoke exposure and the earliest detectable signs of heart disease.
"This research provides additional evidence that second-hand smoke is harmful and may be even more dangerous than we previously thought," said Harvey Hecht, MD, associate director of cardiac imaging and professor of medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center and study author. "We actually found the risk of second-hand smoke exposure to be an equivalent or stronger risk factor [for CAC] than other well-established ones such as high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. Passive exposure to smoke seems to independently predict both the likelihood and extent of CAC."
The study was conducted on 3,098 healthy participants between 40 and 80 years old, who had never smoked. During the study it was found that people exposed to low, moderate or high levels of second-hand smoke were 50, 60 and 90 percent more likely to have evidence of coronary artery calcification than those who reported minimal exposure.
"Tobacco smoke can damage the coronary arteries of non-smokers through many different ways, which can lead to plaque formation and then to heart attacks, so this lends more [credence] to enforcing smoking bans," Dr. Hecht said. "We know heart disease is significantly accelerated by second-hand smoke exposure, so it should be included as a routine part of medical exams and discussions about heart disease and try to prevent it as best we can."
