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Second-hand Smoking and CV Risk

  • Prevention (L Sperling and D Gaita, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Issues related to passive smoking have recently been addressed in the specialty literature, and they are particularly relevant from two perspectives: the effects on health and implications in the initiation of smoking among youth. The mechanisms by which tobacco smoke is involved in the pathology of heart disease are numerous, and are based not on a single action, but involve multiple factors. The effects of "second-hand" smoking on the cardiovascular system are evident in cardiovascular disease biomarkers seen in nonsmokers and the increased risk of mortality. In 2003, the World Health Assembly adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which was negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is an evidence-based treaty promulgated with the intent of implementing effective policies for tobacco control. The effects of such policies have been documented in numerous studies. For example, the number of ER patients presenting with acute coronary events (myocardial infarction) has decreased 27-40 % in the U.S., 13 % in Italy, and 17 % in Scotland. The harmful consequences of passive smoking in cardiovascular and other organ systems must be confronted across the medical community. Cardiologists should unite with other specialists to encourage concerted legal action, economic measures, and public education as we work toward the tobacco endgame.

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References and Recommended Reading

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Ioana Munteanu and Dr. Florin Dumitru Mihălţan each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology, Bucharest, Romania

    Ioana Munteanu MD & Florin Dumitru Mihălţan MD

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  1. Ioana Munteanu MD
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  2. Florin Dumitru Mihălţan MD
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Correspondence to Florin Dumitru Mihălţan MD.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Prevention

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Munteanu, I., Mihălţan, F.D. Second-hand Smoking and CV Risk. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 16, 348 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-014-0348-8

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