Roken door ouders en vaatschade in hun jonge kinderen*

Objective

To investigate the relation between smoke exposure in early life, including the prenatal period, and vascular development of young children.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Method

We used data on smoking behaviour of parents during and after pregnancy from the “WHeezing Illnesses STudy LEidsche Rijn” (WHISTLER)-birth cohort. In 259 participating children who had turned 5 years of age, the carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and arterial wall distensibility were measured using ultrasonography.

Results

Children of mothers who had smoked throughout pregnancy had a 18.8 μm larger CIMT (95% CI: 1.1-36.5; p = 0.04) and a 15% lower arterial wall distensibility (95% CI: -0.3- -0.02; p = 0.02) than children whose mothers had not smoked, after adjustment for age and gender of the child, maternal age at birth, and breast feeding. These effects were not found in children whose mothers had not smoked during pregnancy but had smoked thereafter. The effects were strongest in children whose parents had both smoked during pregnancy: they had a 27.7 μm larger CIMT and a 21% lower arterial wall distensibility.

Conclusion

The exposure of children to parental tobacco smoke during pregnancy affects their arterial wall structure and function already in early life.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support for this article: the authors’ institute received a Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development grant nr 2100.0095 from the University Medical Center Utrecht.