The harmful effects of cigarette smoke on children's breathing
(Baonghean.vn) - According to the National Tobacco Harm Prevention Program, children exposed to passive smoking have an increased risk of many respiratory diseases.
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The effects of tobacco on children. Photo: Internet |
Lower respiratory tract infection
ChildrensmokePassive smokers are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia. Experts estimate that each year, between 150,000 and 300,000 children under 18 months of age develop bronchitis or pneumonia related to exposure to secondhand smoke.
Children under 1 year of age whose parents smoke have twice the rate of bronchitis or pneumonia, are more severely ill, and spend 20% more time in hospital than children of non-smokers.
Prevalence and severity of asthma
Smoking by parents, especially mothers, also increases the incidence and severity of asthma in young children. Children in households with smokers require more medical care, have twice the risk of daily asthma attacks, and are hospitalized more often for asthma than children whose family members do not smoke.
Worldwide, between 200,000 and 1 million children with asthma are affected by their parents' smoking.
Acute and chronic otitis media
Exposure to secondhand smoke also increases the risk of chronic otitis media and effusion. Otitis media causes deafness and imposes a lifelong economic burden on children. Deafness at a very young age can easily lead to mutism and learning disabilities.
In addition, from the effects of passive smoking, children can also suffer from other respiratory diseases and affect the heart and intestines.
Experts estimate that each year, Vietnam has about 150,000 - 300,000 children under 18 months old with bronchitis or pneumonia related to environmental tobacco smoke. Children under 1 year old who are children of smokers have twice the risk of bronchitis or pneumonia as children of non-smokers.
Therefore, parents or relatives, before smoking, please consider to maintain your health, and at the same time to reduce the risk of disease for children. In addition, from now on, everyone needs to have a form of protection and timely treatment to reduce the number of children in Vietnam infected with diseases caused by tobacco.
