How important is secondhand smoke in cardiovascular disease?

Secondhand smoke, often called as passive smoking, is the exposure to tobacco smoke by inhaling smoke coming from nearby tobacco smokers. Secondhand smoke is an important cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and stroke [1]. There is some data that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger a myocardial infarction. People can get exposed to secondhand smoke at home, vehicles, public places and workplaces. One estimate mentions that 41,000 preventable deaths per year occur in adult nonsmokers as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke significantly increases the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease [2].

References

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2. Lv X, Sun J, Bi Y, Xu M, Lu J, Zhao L, Xu Y. Risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease associated with secondhand smoke exposure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2015 Nov 15;199:106-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.07.011. Epub 2015 Jul 12. PMID: 26188829.