Word: secondhand
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...Secondhand smoke, once considered a mere nuisance, has proved to be far more harmful. It can lead to lung cancer and heart disease, exacerbate asthma and cause pneumonia and bronchitis in babies. Now, a new study links it to another serious condition: dementia in adults...
...study published Feb. 13 in the British Medical Journal found a significant increase in the risk of dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment in people over 50 who have been exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke. (See pictures of vintage pro-smoking advertisements...
Previous research has linked active smoking with cognitive impairment. But this is the first large-scale study to associate secondhand-smoke exposure to dementia and other neurological problems in older populations...
...study, researchers at the University of Cambridge, Britain's Peninsula Medical School and the University of Michigan tested saliva samples from nearly 5,000 non-smoking adults over the age of 50 for cotinine - a by-product of nicotine - high levels of which would signal exposure to secondhand smoke. Participants in the study also provided a detailed smoking history. The researchers then used established neuropsychological tests to assess brain function and cognitive impairment...
Alzheimer's and dementia experts think that the mediating factors between secondhand smoke and cognitive impairment could be heart disease and stroke; secondhand-smoke exposure raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, which in turn raise the risk of dementia...