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** 4 December 2019
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** UK
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** Ex-smoker believes vaping caused heart attack (#1)
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** Number of children smoking continues to decline in England (#2)
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** International
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** US Study: Exposure to smoking in early childhood linked to hyperactivity and conduct problems (#3)
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** UK
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A man who quit smoking after 20 years and had a heart attack and cardiac arrest earlier this year has blamed e-cigarette use for his health problems. Stephen Davies, of Yeovil in Somerset, began vaping five years ago when he quit smoking.
Stephen Davies woke up in the night having a heart attack. His wife called 999, and Mr Davies was taken to hospital - but during the ambulance trip he suffered a cardiac arrest. Mr Davies was kept in the hospital for two days until doctors declared him stable enough to leave and he was discharged on April 9. Mr Davies said: “I've never had problems with my heart in my life, and my wife and I honestly believe my heart attack and my cardiac arrest were caused by my vaping.”
Smoking is known to cause deadly heart damage over time, by causing a build-up of fatty material in the arteries and putting strain on the heart. It also makes blood more likely to clot, raising the risk of a stroke. The effects can last even after smokers quit.
Clare Boobyer-Jones, smokefree lead at Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “When a patient who smokes enters our hospital, they will be offered support to stop smoking. We know that lots of smokers would like support to stop and that refraining from smoking can be very difficult. Smokers are four times more likely to stop smoking with the use of nicotine replacement products and NHS support. Following advice from Public Health England (PHE) we have recently updated our smoke free policy inside the hospital grounds to allow vaping for those who are currently using this as a way of stopping smoking. PHE guidance states that vaping carries a small fraction of the risk of smoking.”
She added: “Using a nicotine-containing e-cigarette makes it much more likely someone will quit successfully than relying on willpower alone - three studies this year have found them twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapy alone. But it's important to use UK-regulated e-liquids and never risk vaping home-made or illicit e-liquids or adding substances.”
Rosanna O' Connor, director of drugs, alcohol, tobacco and justice at Public Health England said: “Our advice remains that while not completely risk free, UK regulated e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoked tobacco.”
Source: MailOnline, 3 December 2019
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The percentage of 8-15 year old children who smoke in England has dropped to 4%, according to the latest Health Survey for England, which shows a continued downward trend across all age groups. The percentage of children who have ever smoked has dropped from 19% in 1997, the survey shows. 9% of 13-15 year olds, 1% of 11-12 year olds and 0.1% of 8-10 year olds reported trying smoking.
“We welcome the survey results that smoking in children and young people has declined,” Hannah Walsh, a spokesperson for the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, said. “The evidence that smoking damages oral health is well established. We see it as an important part of our role to give smoking cessation advice. Where a young person is evidently a smoker, I will signpost them to the right service to get the help they need to stop smoking. The scale of the drop in the number of children smoking highlighted in this survey can only be welcome.”
E-cigarette use is also included, which shows 7% of children aged eight to 15 years old had ever vaped. Experimentation with vaping also increases with age, with 15% of 13 to 15-year-olds having ever tried an e-cigarette. And 3% of children who had never smoked tobacco, had tried using e-cigarettes.
Children whose mothers were current smokers were three times more likely to have tried smoking. However, this same pattern wasn’t replicated with fathers, with similar numbers of children having tried smoking.
Source: dentistry.co.uk, 3 December 2019
See also:
NHS Digital - Health Survey for England 2018 ([link removed])
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** International
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In a new study, children exposed to smoking in the first four years of life were more likely to exhibit symptoms of hyperactivity and conduct problems. The study, which is published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that the association remained even after controlling for factors including poverty, parental education level, parental history of ADHD, hostility, depression, caregiver IQ, and obstetric complications.
The effects examined in this study, which included 1,096 children, were a function of the dosage of nicotine that children were exposed to, as quantified by the metabolic byproduct cotinine in their saliva. The findings are consistent with animal models demonstrating an effect of exposure to nicotine on ongoing brain development in regions related to hyperactivity and impulsivity.
“There is a lot of emphasis on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy, but our findings indicate that children continue to be vulnerable to the adverse effects of nicotine exposure during the first several years of life,” said lead author Lisa Gatzke-Kopp, PhD.
Source: Scienmag, 4 December 2019
See also:
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Association between environmental tobacco smoke exposure across the first four years of life and manifestation of externalizing behavior problems in school‐aged children. ([link removed]) December 2019
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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