Tobacco smoke has serious negative effects on a child's heart. Children who smoke are at the highest risk for damaging the heart, but exposure to secondhand smoke is also extremely hazardous. Parents who smoke put their children at serious risk for several health conditions, especially regarding the heart. No level of second hand smoke is considered safe or tolerable to the body. Children and teenagers who smoke should seek help from their parents or school to find help in quitting. The American Cancer Society states that about 71 million teens, one in four, are current tobacco users, as of 2010. They also stated that 50 percent have tried smoking at least once.
Coronary Heart Disease
Children exposed to firsthand and secondhand tobacco smoke are especially susceptible to developing coronary heart disease later in life. Tobacco smoke increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the chances of developing fatal blood clots, known as thrombosis and embolisms. Tobacco smoke causes a child's arteries to constrict and to harden, increasing the overall workload. Nicotine also prevents apoptosis, the natural turnover of healthy cells and the removal of damaged or mutated cells. As smoke damages the child's heart, nicotine further prevents the repair of these cells. The American Heart Association states that secondhand smoke causes between 22,000 and 69,000 premature deaths each year due to heart and blood vessel disease from other peoples' smoke. In the March 2005 issue of "Circulation," Dr. Majid Ezzati and associates found that ischemic heart disease accounted for over 50 percent of smoking related cardiovascular mortality.
Blood Vessel Regulation
Children exposed to tobacco smoke are also affected by having weaker blood vessels throughout the heart. Many of the hazardous chemicals found in firsthand and secondhand smoke prevent the lining of the blood vessels from working properly. The oxidative stress of tobacco smoke further exacerbates the weakening of the blood vessel lining. The October 2009 report from the Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events stated that secondhand smoke significantly increased blood vessel stiffness connecting the heart to the lungs and essential organs. Reduced blood exchange and regulation through endothelial dysfunction can seriously alter a child's normal capacity for exercise and daily activities.
Cholesterol and Plaque
Children exposed to tobacco smoke are also at a higher risk for developing high cholesterol and arterial plaque. Nicotine, tar and many of the other hazardous additives found in tobacco smoke prevent the removal of bad cholesterol and increase the amount of plaque deposited onto the artery walls. The Institute Of Medicine states that secondhand smoke also decreases the amount of good cholesterol in the heart, known as high density lipoprotein. Combined with the inflammation caused by secondhand smoke, this places children at an increased risk for developing much more serious heart problems later in life, including heart attacks, strokes and asthma.
References
- American Cancer Society: Child and Teen Tobacco Use
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases
- "Circulation"; Role of Smoking in Global and Regional Cardiovascular Mortality; Majid Ezzati et. al.; 2005
- "Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence"; Institute Of Medicine, Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events; October 2009
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Smoking and Your Heart
