Atrial fibrillation: How passive smoking also affects children's hearts

The harmful effects of secondhand smoke are now well-known and proven. A U.S. study, which followed 5,124 children under the age of 18 between 1971 and 2014, has now shown that this practice is affecting the hearts of even the youngest.

A very common arrhythmia in the United States

Atrial fibrillation, also known as atrial fibrillation, is characterized by an irregular, often very rapid, heart rate. In 7% of cases, this arrhythmia is due to tobacco use. It is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the United States, where 14% of the population still smokes in public. It is expected to affect 16 million Americans by 2050. Atrial fibrillation can cause palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath. The study conducted on site also shows that among the observed children of smokers exposed to secondhand smoke, 14.3% of the population had atrial fibrillation as adults.

In the European Union, 14 to 17 million people are expected to be affected by atrial fibrillation by 2030.

The numbers speak for themselves: the risk of atrial fibrillation increases by 14% for every 10 cigarettes smoked per day, with this risk increasing with each additional cigarette.

Is France concerned?

In France, atrial fibrillation currently affects 1 in 300 people in the population. But when we consider that 32 in 300 French people are smokers, and that a quarter of these people smoke daily, we should be concerned about the number of cases of atrial fibrillation that could be observed in our country if we conducted a study similar to the American research.

©Generation Without Tobacco

Laura Bourgault (Destination Santé), “Passive smoking affects children’s hearts”, www.ledauphine.com, October 18, 2019, https://www.ledauphine.com/magazine-sante/2019/10/18/le-tabagisme-passif-atteint-le-coeur-des-enfants

“Fibrillation and smoking: the more you smoke, the faster your heart beats,” August 3, 2018, www.santelog.com, https://www.santelog.com/actualites/fibrillation-et-tabagisme-plus-fume-plus-le-coeur-palpite

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2018 DOI: 10.1177/2047487318780435. Tobacco smoking and the risk of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

European Heart Journal 2016 - European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice.

European Heart Journal 2016 - ESC Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with

©DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |