Science/Medicine : Smokers’ Sons Have Risk of Heart Damage

Parents who smoke cigarettes at home may be increasing the risk of heart disease for their children, according to researchers who found cardiac abnormalities in 11- and 12-year-old boys exposed to secondhand smoke.

“If parents want the best for their children’s health, they should quit smoking,” said Dr. William Moskowitz of the Medical College of Virginia.

The study followed twins as part of a 10-year effort to determine inherited and environmental factors in heart disease.

Moskowitz performed ultrasound tests on 141 boys from nonsmoking families and 41 from homes where one or both parents smoked. He also measured blood levels of cholesterol and chemicals that indicate smoke exposure.

Sons of smokers had thicker heart walls and stiffer aortas--the main artery of the chest. These abnormalities were worse in boys exposed to more smoke.