Passive smoking in children head back pain in adulthood

Passive smoking in childhood may increase the risk of back pain and neck adulthood, suggest the results of a Norwegian study published in the September issue of the "European Journal of Public Health."

Regular inhalation of cigarette smoke, whether voluntary or not, has a negative impact on different parts of the body and as some studies have associated smoking with the onset of back pain, not only back pain, but as neck pain and herniated discs (projections of the nucleus of the intervertebral disc) in the cervical region, Dr. Willy Eriksen, University of Oslo wanted to determine whether passive smoking during childhood led to adulthood a greater likelihood of work stoppages long associated with such disorders

The researcher has followed a group of nearly 5,000 Norwegian aides who responded to both questionnaires emailed to fifteen months apart. None of the participants did was on sick leave at the time of completing the first questionnaire and follow-up survey focused on work stoppages in the past twelve months.

After adjusting the results to take into account the influence of other factors (being a smoker, non-smoker or ex-smoker, physical recreation, nature of work performed under occupation, history cervical trauma ...), it is clear that passive smoking in childhood appeared to increase the risk of developing disabling pain in adulthood.

Indeed, aides exposed to smoking from their parents during their childhood have shown on average 1.34 times more likely to take sick leave for more than two weeks for neck pain than those whose parents did not smoke during their early years.

The multiplicative factor associated with passive smoking in childhood risk reached 1.49 for work stoppages exceeding fourteen days and pain resulting from the upper back.

However, the difference between the two groups did not reach a significant value regarding low back pain (relative risk 1.21), while the smoke of the child also appears to predispose the adult he to become sick more than eight weeks (with a multiplicative factor of 1.29.)

To explain the findings, Dr. Willy Eriksen, besides advance their carcinogenic effects already well known, the components of cigarette smoke could have a negative impact on the spine growth.