Quality of life evaluation of children exposed to second-hand smoke

Environmental exposures associated with host immune system factors can trigger and worse several forms of allergic diseases. Second-hand smoke (SHS) is a known factor that exacerbates numerous diseases in children, such as asthma, respiratory tract infections and sudden infant death syndrome. During childhood the main source of exposure to SHS is the children own home. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of asthma and its impact on life quality of children exposed or not to SHS. Children with ages between 7 to 17 years old answered an ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire to diagnose asthma. Subsequently they were questioned about the presence of smokers at home. Those classified as asthmatics answered a PAQLQ-A (Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire-Adapted). Five hundred and forty questionnaires were distributed and 257 were correctly filled, the mean age of the volunteers was (9,61±1,73 years). According to our data, ISAAC global score pointed out to a 21.01% prevalence of asthma. Among the asthmatic children 66.67% were exposed to SHS at home and 37.44% of non-asthmatic children were also exposed to SHS at home. The association between asthma symptoms and SHS at home was observed with the odds ratio test (p