Summary of aetiological studies on environmental tobacco smoke and respiratory diseases and conditions in the elderly
| Disease/condition | OR or range in ORs# | 95% CI | Causality¶ |
| Lung cancer | +++ | ||
| Home exposure | 1.23 | 1.13–1.34 | |
| Work exposure | 1.25 | 1.08–1.41 | |
| Chronic respiratory symptoms | ++ | ||
| Wheezing | 1.35–2.69 | ||
| Cough | 2.80–3.79 | ||
| Phlegm | 1.60–3.40 | ||
| Dyspnoea | 1.35–4.50 | ||
| Asthma | 1.45–1.97 | ++ | |
| COPD | 1.68–5.63 | ++ | |
| Respiratory infections | 2.5 | 1.2–5.1 | + |
| Coronary heart disease | +++ | ||
| Home exposure | 1.30 | 1.22–1.38 | |
| Work exposure | 1.21 | 1.04–1.41 | |
| Stroke | 1.82 | 1.34–2.49 | + |
| Lung function parameter + | |||
| Cross-sectional studies FEV1 | −2.7%§ | −4.1%–−1.2%§ | + |
| Longitudinal study FEV1 | ns | 0 |
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
#: odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from meta-analysis (references for each disease and condition are given in the text) or, if a summary estimate is not available, range of ORS from individual studies
¶: causality as judged by the author
+: Data are presented as effect estimate (95% CI)
§: The difference in FEV1 level between the exposed and unexposed, expressed as a percentage of the level in the unexposed group
+++: causal relation established
++: strong evidence of a causal relation
+: some evidence of a causal relation
0: no clear evidence of a causal relation