Secondhand smoke worse for toddlers

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Secondhand smoke causes greater blood vessel damage in toddlers than in teens, a U.S. researcher said.

Senior author John Anthony Bauer of the Nationwide Children's Hospital & Research Institute at Ohio State University in Columbus said obese adolescents exposed to secondhand smoke showed twice the vascular injury than normal-weight adolescents had.

The vascular changes detected in toddlers and obese teens were well recognized risks for heart disease in adults, Bauer said.

"This suggests that some aspects of adult heart disease may be initiated in early childhood, where prevention strategies may have great long-term impact," Bauer said in a statement. "Secondhand smoke in children is not just bad for respiratory issues, as has been previously described by other researchers."

Bauer and colleagues recruited African-American, white and Hispanic boys and girls, including 52 toddlers ages 2-5 and 107 adolescents ages 9-18.

The study findings were presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla.