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Kids Whose Parents Smoke At Home Have Higher Risk Of Ear Infections CHICAGO, IL -- February 10, 1998 -- Children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes during the first three years of life are at almost double the risk for frequent or persistent middle ear infections, according to an article in this month’s issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Carol Adair-Bischoff, Ph.D., and Reginald Sauve, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Calgary in Alberta, studied 625 first-grade students in 36 schools in Calgary to determine the association between environmental tobacco smoke and middle ear infections in preschool-age children. The researchers found a history of middle ear infections in 23.9 percent of the children studied. Preschool-age children who lived with two or more smokers during the first three years of life were at 85 percent higher risk of having a history of persistent or recurrent middle ear infections. Children whose mothers smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day were at 68 percent higher risk of middle ear infections and children exposed to more than 10 cigarettes per day by all smokers in the household were at 40 percent higher risk. The association was clear even after adjusting for differences in child care arrangements, types of feeding, socioeconomic status, mother's education level and other possible confounding factors, according to the researchers. "Environmental tobacco smoke is an important risk factor for middle ear disease in urban pre-school age children, even in a relatively affluent population," the authors write. Middle ear infections affect up to 46 percent of children by the age of three years and is the most frequent reason for non-inpatient hospital visits and use of prescription drugs in this age group. The condition is also the most common reason for surgery in children in developed countries. Middle ear infections cost more than $3.5 billion annually in the U.S. alone. Middle ear infections cause fluctuating hearing loss, which may place young children at risk for developmental problems in language, cognition and motor skills. "The avoidance of passive smoke exposure by preschool-age children may have a considerable effect on the burden of morbidity due to middle ear disease," the researchers write. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version