Environmental pollution and parental smoking influence on the appearance of pseudocroup in children

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of environmental pollution and parental tobacco smoking on the occurrence of pseudocroup in children.

A questionnaire-study was performed in 345 children with pseudocroup admitted to the ENT Dept between 1997-2007. 116 children had smoking and 229 had non-smoking parents. Both groups were compared with respect to environmental pollution (urban, rural), parents' level of education, household crowding and breast feeding period. The prevalence of upper and lower respiratory tract infections and the presence of allergy were also anlaysed. The results were compared to those performed in the ENT Dept in 1977-1986.

In the group of rural children, 21 were children with pseudocroup from smoking parents and 36 children of non-smoking parents. Among children living in the urban areas there were 95 from smoking parents and 193 from non-smoking parents. Both non-smoking parents presented a large group of people with a higher level of education, and in the smoking families both parents presented a lower level of education. Analysis of the breast feeding period revealed that it was the longest (up to 9 months) in non-smoking mothers--21% of the group, and only in 4.3% of smoking mothers.