Abstract
Objectives: While the prevalence and severity of asthma influenced by
environmental factors, the effect of parenteral smoking on asthma status
of their children was examined. Methodology: 90 asthmatic children, 32
with smoker and 58 with non-smoker parents were studies in two sessions
three years apart by evaluating respiratory symptoms (RS) prevalence and
severity, various drugs used and pulmonary function tests (PFT)
including forced vital capacity, forced volume in the first second, peak
expiratory flow, and maximum expiratory low at 75, 50 and 25% of vital
capacity (FVC, FEV1, PEF, MEF75, MEF50, MEF25 respectively). Results:
The prevalence and severity of all RS were significantly increased in
asthmatic children with smoking parents after 3 years except prevalence
and severity of night wheeze and the prevalence of chest wheeze
(p<0.05 to p<0.001) but PFT values were
non-significantly reduced. In asthmatic children with non-smoking
parents, the prevalence and severity of RS were decreased after 3 years
which was significant for night and chest wheeze for prevalence and
night cough and chest wheeze for severity (all, p<0.05) and
PFT values were increased which were statistically significant for FVC,
FEV1, MEF50 and MEF25 (p<0.05 to p<0.01). Drugs used
by the group with smoking parents were increased and were significantly
higher than their reduction in the groups with non-smoking parents at
the end of the study (p<0.05 for fluticasone propionate
125/salmeterol and budesonide160/formoterol). Conclusion: Long-term
parenteral smoking increased prevalence and severity of RS and drug used
but decreased PFT values of their asthmatic children.