RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The influence of early exposure to tobacco smoke for pulmonary disease
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP p1807
VO 38
IS Suppl 55
A1 Akinori Ebihara
A1 Asuka Nagai
A1 Takayuki Nakano
A1 Tokuzen Iwamoto
A1 Ichiro Kuwahira
YR 2011
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1807.abstract
AB Background: Smoking is a very serious problem for COPD, lung cancer and other chronic pulmonary diseases. However, there are few studies on early exposure to tobacco smoke. Smoking rate in Japan decreased to 21.8%. However it is still higher in the northern area (Hokkaido). In particularly, it is 31.0% in Erimo town (southernmost extreme of Hokkaido), which is higher than that of any other cities in Hokkaido. The reason is that when parents smoked, the child set fire to tobacco and handed it as a custom in 1940's. Because a hand was wet while fishing, they were not able to set fire themselves.Aim: We evaluated the influence of early exposure to tobacco smoke on prevalence of COPD and lung cancer.Methods: Using the results of the medical checkup carried out at the Erimo town health division and the Town clinic, we analyzed about 6000 residents' epidemiologic data.Results: Majority of residents were found exposed to tobacco smoke actively or passively from a young age. Housemate smoking rate was 81.0%. The mortality of chronic respiratory disease was 71.4 per 100,000 person-years that was far exceeded from the national average (11.4 per 100,000 person-years). COPD prevalence (465.5 per 100,000 person-years) was significantly higher than the national average (136.2 per 100,000 person-years). Lung cancer prevalence was also very high (877.2 per 100,000 person-years).Conclusion: Early exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood significantly increases prevalence of COPD and lung cancer. In Japan, young generation showed still high smoking rates (14.3% aged 20's, 18.0% aged 30's). Smoking cessation is the most important intervention to prevent disease progression.