Persons who suffered stroke are found to be more exposed to secondhand smoke.
While smoking ban is soon-to-be implemented in the Philippines, a study in the United States found out that the more a person is exposed to secondhand smoke, the higher the risk to suffer from stroke.
Researchers of the US study found that persons who are never-smokers but had a stroke were nearly 50 percent more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke at home than people who had never had a stroke.
The study team analyzed data gathered on almost 28,000 never-smokers over age 18 who participated in annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
Participants were recruited between 1988 and 1994 and again between 1999 and 2012. They were asked, “Does anyone who lives here smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes anywhere inside this home?”
In the duration of the study, stroke survivors exposed to secondhand smoke were also more likely to die from any cause compared to those without secondhand smoke exposure.
Blood tests for cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine, were performed on each participant in order to gauge the amount of smoke people were exposed to.
The members of the study team also looked at other factors that might influence stroke risk or likelihood of secondhand smoke exposure like race, sex, education and income level.
They have found out that people most likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke at home were black men with high alcohol intake and a history of heart attack who were living in poverty.
The lead author Dr. Michelle Lin of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore said, “second-hand smoke is a risk to all people, but those with a history of stroke should take extra care to avoid it.”
“While cigarette smoking has long been known to increase the risk of stroke, less is known about the relationship between secondhand smoke and stroke,” Lin added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four nonsmokers (58 million people) in the U.S. are still exposed to secondhand smoke.
