Effect of passive smoking on frequency of respiratory illnesses and serum immunoglobulin-E (IgE) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) concentrations in exposed children

Abstract

We studied the relationship of serum immunoglobulin-E (Ig-E) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) concentrations, eosinophil counts, and frequency of respiratory illness with passive smoking in 70 randomly selected children of smoking parents. Fifty randomly selected age-matched children of non-smoking parents served as controls. Children of smoking parents had higher frequency of respiratory illnesses per year (PPPv. those without frequent respiratory illnesses (1.3±0.45 pg/ml). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the overall positivity of the risk factors predisposing to respiratory diseases in the study children was 79 per cent, and the highest odds ratio was that for EL-4 (OR = 5.15). In conclusion, there is a significant increase in IL-4 and Ig-E concentrations, high eosinophil count and frequent respiratory symptoms in children of smoking parents. It remains that the current state of knowledge on health risks associated with passive smoking warrants that strong preventive action be promoted.