US study finds link between smoking and ADHD

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US study finds link between smoking and ADHD

A US-based study has found that children with exposure to tobacco smoke had roughly double the incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and stuttering.

Wendy Max, professor of health economics at the University of California, San Francisco, said the results showed how passive smoking could affect a child's overall health as well as learning and social development.

"These physical and mental problems act as adisadvantage for cognitive and social development in the children," The Age quoted Professor Max as saying.

The research involved children aged four to 15 years from both smoking and non-smoking families.

The analysis took account of socio-economic differences across smoking and non-smoking families, as well as the potential impact of smoking during pregnancy, to prevent a skewing of the results.

Children exposed to passive smoking were found to have double the rate of ADHD (10.6% compared to 4.6%), almost double the rate of stuttering (6.3%compared to 3.5%), and an increased rate of headaches (14.2 %compared to 10.0%).

Looking at the rate of headache in teenagers only, the difference increased to 26% for tobacco-exposed teens compared to 20% for those from non-smoking families.

Further impacts of childhood tobacco exposure included an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, increased rate of respiratory and lung disorders, higher risk of developing asthma with more severe attacks, more cases of ear infection, and a higher lifetime risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The research was presented at the Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health in Sydney.