Secondhand smoke ups infections in kids

HONG KONG, May 28 (UPI) -- Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to get severe infectious diseases and have to be admitted to the hospital, researchers in Hong Kong said.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong said that children are at greater risk of a whole range of infectious illnesses, such as meningococcal disease.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, found exposure to smoke in the first few months of life did the most harm, especially if they had a low birth weight or had been born prematurely.

The researchers assessed the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and first admission to hospital for any infectious illness for 7,402 children born in Hong Kong in April and May 1997. The children were tracked until they were age 8.

Children who lived in the household of someone who smoked within about three yards of them during their first few months of life were the most at risk of being admitted to hospital with one in three admitted by the age of 12 months.

The study also found that the earlier the exposure to smoke, increased the likelihood of being admitted to hospital for an infectious disease during the child's first eight years by almost 45 percent.