Life-span perspective of susceptibility to tobacco smoking in men and women

Aim: Maternal smoking in utero , age of smoking debut, and pack years, were examined in relation to wheeze, bronchial reactivity (BHR), and other airways symptoms in 5348 male and 5262 female ECRHS participants. Results: In both men and women, mutually adjusted models showed that wheeze (33%) was statistically significantly associated with maternal smoking in utero (men: OR=1.54[1.19-2.00], women: OR=1.53[1.25-1.88]), age of smoking debut (men: p=0.019, women: p Conclusion: Exposure to tobacco smoking affects adult respiratory health, with women being more susceptible than men to early smoking debut and amount of pack years. Figure 1. OR for wheeze in relation to age of smoking debut in women and men. Estimated from GAM models.