Passive smoking and heart disease. Mechanisms and risk

S. A. Glantz and W. W. Parmley
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.

OBJECTIVE--Recent clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological evidence that passive smoking causes heart disease was reviewed, with particular emphasis on understanding the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms. DATA SOURCES--Publications in the peer-reviewed literature were located via MEDLINE, citation in other relevant articles, and appropriate reports by scientific agencies. Greatest emphasis was given to work published since 1990. CONCLUSIONS--Passive smoking reduces the blood's ability to deliver oxygen to the heart and compromises the myocardium's ability to use oxygen to create adenosine triphosphate. These effects are manifest as reduced exercise capability in people breathing secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke increases platelet activity, accelerates atherosclerotic lesions, and increases tissue damage following ischemia or myocardial infarction. The effects of secondhand tobacco smoke on the cardiovascular system are not caused by a single component of the smoke, but rather are caused by the effects of many elements, including carbon monoxide, nicotine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other, not fully specified elements in the smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke in everyday life exhibit an increased risk of both fatal and nonfatal cardiac events.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Exposure to Passive Smoking: A Test to Predict Endothelial Dysfunction and Atherosclerotic Lesions
Leone and Balbarini
ANGIOLOGY 2008;59:220-223.
ABSTRACT  

Declines in Hospital Admissions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in New York State After Implementation of a Comprehensive Smoking Ban
Juster et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2007;97:2035-2039.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Industry Efforts Undermining Evidence Linking Secondhand Smoke With Cardiovascular Disease
Tong and Glantz
Circulation 2007;116:1845-1854.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is Associated With Attenuated Endothelial Function in 11-Year-Old Healthy Children
Kallio et al.
Circulation 2007;115:3205-3212.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Effects of Acute Passive Smoke Exposure on Endothelium-Dependent Brachial Artery Dilation in Healthy Individuals
Giannini et al.
ANGIOLOGY 2007;58:211-217.
ABSTRACT  

Mortality among Lifelong Nonsmokers Exposed to Secondhand Smoke at Home: Cohort Data and Sensitivity Analyses
Hill et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2007;165:530-540.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Is Nonsmoking Dangerous to the Health of Restaurants? The Effect of California's Indoor Smoking Ban on Restaurant Revenues
Stolzenberg and D'Alessio
Eval Rev 2007;31:75-92.
ABSTRACT  

COHb% as a marker of cardiovascular risk in never smokers: Results from a population-based cohort study
Hedblad et al.
Scand J Public Health 2006;34:609-615.
ABSTRACT  

Lifetime cumulative exposure to secondhand smoke and risk of myocardial infarction in never smokers: results from the Western new york health study, 1995-2001.
Stranges et al.
Arch Intern Med 2006;166:1961-1967.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reduction in the Incidence of Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated With a Citywide Smoking Ordinance
Bartecchi et al.
Circulation 2006;114:1490-1496.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Environmental Cardiology: Studying Mechanistic Links Between Pollution and Heart Disease
Bhatnagar
Circ. Res. 2006;99:692-705.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Passive smoking's role in diabetes.
Panagiotakos and Pitsavos
BMJ 2006;332:1044-1045.
FULL TEXT  

Secondhand smoke as an acute threat for the cardiovascular system: a change in paradigm
Raupach et al.
Eur Heart J 2006;27:386-392.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The most important and influential papers in tobacco control: results of an online poll
Chapman
Tobacco Control 2005;14:e1-e1.
FULL TEXT  

Slaying myths about passive smoking
Jamrozik
Tobacco Control 2005;14:294-295.
FULL TEXT  

Role of Smoking in Global and Regional Cardiovascular Mortality
Ezzati et al.
Circulation 2005;112:489-497.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cardiovascular Effects of Secondhand Smoke: Nearly as Large as Smoking
Barnoya and Glantz
Circulation 2005;111:2684-2698.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco smoke dysregulates endothelial vasoregulatory transcripts in vivo
Maresh et al.
Physiol. Genomics 2005;21:308-313.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prenatal Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Promotes Adult Atherogenesis and Mitochondrial Damage in Apolipoprotein E-/- Mice Fed a Chow Diet
Yang et al.
Circulation 2004;110:3715-3720.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Controlling passive smoking through legislation in Ireland: an attack on civil liberty or good public health policy?
McNicholas
Eur Respir J 2004;24:337-338.
FULL TEXT  

Effect of Exposure to Cigarette Smoke on Carotid Artery Intimal Thickening: The Role of Inducible NO Synthase
Anazawa et al.
Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Bio. 2004;24:1652-1658.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Expert Panel on Population and Prevention Science of the American Heart Association
Brook et al.
Circulation 2004;109:2655-2671.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The pathophysiology of cigarette smoking and cardiovascular disease: An update
Ambrose and Barua
J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;43:1731-1737.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

How acute and reversible are the cardiovascular risks of secondhand smoke?
Pechacek and Babb
BMJ 2004;328:980-983.
FULL TEXT  

Reduced incidence of admissions for myocardial infarction associated with public smoking ban: before and after study
Sargent et al.
BMJ 2004;328:977-980.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Silence That Kills
Haviland
Am. J. Public Health 2004;94:176-178.
FULL TEXT  

Decrease in the Prevalence of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure in the Home During the 1990s in Families With Children
Soliman et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2004;94:314-320.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Influence of Smoking on Predictors of Vascular Disease
Tsiara et al.
ANGIOLOGY 2003;54:507-530.
ABSTRACT  

Changes of Attitudes and Patronage Behaviors in Response to a Smoke-Free Bar Law
Tang et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2003;93:611-617.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Active and Passive Smoking, Chronic Infections, and the Risk of Carotid Atherosclerosis: Prospective Results From the Bruneck Study
Kiechl et al.
Stroke 2002;33:2170-2176.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and the development of acute coronary syndromes: the CARDIO2000 case-control study
Pitsavos et al.
Tobacco Control 2002;11:220-225.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Air pollution as a cause of heart disease: Time for action
Glantz
J Am Coll Cardiol 2002;39:943-945.
FULL TEXT  

Smoking and gender
Bolego et al.
Cardiovasc Res 2002;53:568-576.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Nicotine Does Not Influence Arterial Lipid Deposits in Rabbits Exposed to Second-Hand Smoke
Sun et al.
Circulation 2001;104:810-814.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Acute Effects of Passive Smoking on the Coronary Circulation in Healthy Young Adults
Otsuka et al.
JAMA 2001;286:436-441.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Even a Little Secondhand Smoke Is Dangerous
Glantz and Parmley
JAMA 2001;286:462-463.
FULL TEXT  

The miseries of passive smoiong
Nelson
Hum Exp Toxicol 2001;20:61-83.
ABSTRACT  

Inaugural Article: National burden of disease in India from indoor air pollution
Smith
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2000;97:13286-13293.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

REFERENCE EQUATIONS FOR THE SIX-MINUTE WALK IN HEALTHY ADULTS
JAY
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2000;161:1396-1396.
FULL TEXT  

Passive smoking and an increased risk of acute stroke
DENSON; et al.
Tobacco Control 2000;9:112-113.
FULL TEXT  

Joint Effects of an Aldosterone Synthase (CYP11B2) Gene Polymorphism and Classic Risk Factors on Risk of Myocardial Infarction
Hautanen et al.
Circulation 1999;100:2213-2218.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effects of L-Arginine on Atherogenesis and Endothelial Dysfunction due to Secondhand Smoke
Hutchison et al.
Hypertension 1999;34:44-50.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Arterial Endothelial Dysfunction Related to Passive Smoking Is Potentially Reversible in Healthy Young Adults
Raitakari et al.
ANN INTERN MED 1999;130:578-581.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Passive Smoking and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease -- A Meta-Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies
He et al.
NEJM 1999;340:920-926.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function in an Elderly Nonsmoking Population
Berglund et al.
Chest 1999;115:49-59.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Putative susceptibility markers of coronary artery disease: association between VDR genotype, smoking, and aromatic DNA adduct levels in human right atrial tissue
Van schooten et al.
FASEB J. 1998;12:1409-1417.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cocaine Use and Chest Pain Syndromes
Jay and Hollander
Arch Intern Med 1998;158:1827-1828.
FULL TEXT  

Passive Smoking Induces Atherogenic Changes in Low-Density Lipoprotein
Valkonen and Kuusi
Circulation 1998;97:2012-2016.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Why Review Articles on the Health Effects of Passive Smoking Reach Different Conclusions
Barnes and Bero
JAMA 1998;279:1566-1570.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Coronary events and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke: a case-control study from Australia and New Zealand
McElduff et al.
Tobacco Control 1998;7:41-46.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cigarette Smoking and Progression of Atherosclerosis: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study
Howard et al.
JAMA 1998;279:119-124.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

What's So Passive About Passive Smoking?: Secondhand Smoke as a Cause of Atherosclerotic Disease
Werner and Pearson
JAMA 1998;279:157-158.
FULL TEXT  

A Prospective Study of Passive Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease
Kawachi et al.
Circulation 1997;95:2374-2379.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Chronic Dietary L-Arginine Prevents Endothelial Dysfunction Secondary to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Normocholesterolemic Rabbits
Hutchison et al.
Hypertension 1997;29:1186-1191.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on LDL Accumulation in the Artery Wall
Roberts et al.
Circulation 1996;94:2248-2253.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Passive smoking and health: should we believe Philip Morris's "experts"?
Smith and Phillips
BMJ 1996;313:929-933.
FULL TEXT  

Passive and Active Smoking: A Problem for Adults
Glantz and Parmley
Circulation 1996;94:596-598.
FULL TEXT  

Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Coronary Heart Disease in the American Cancer Society CPS-II Cohort
Steenland et al.
Circulation 1996;94:622-628.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cigarette Smoke Exposure and Hypercholesterolemia Increase Mitochondrial Damage in Cardiovascular Tissues
Knight-Lozano et al.
Circulation 2002;105:849-854.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT