P.072 Parental Smoking and Vascular Damage in Young Adult Offspring: Is Early Life Exposure Critical? The Atherosclerosis Risk in Young Adults Study

Abstract

Background

little is known of the consequences of tobacco smoking in pregnancy for cardiovascular risk in offspring.

Objectives

To estimate the association between foetal tobacco smoke exposure and vascular damage in young adulthood.

Participants

A birth cohort of 732 young adults born between 1970–1973.

Measures

Registered pregnancy and birth data, anthropometry and cardiovascular risk profiles in young adulthood, including ultrasound measurement of common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT). Pregnancy and current smoking habits data of parents were obtained by standardized questionnaires.

Results

Twenty nine percent of the mothers reported to have smoked during their pregnancy. Adult offspring of mothers who smoked had 13.4 µm thicker CIMT (95% CI: 5.5, 21.3; p = 0.001) than offspring of mothers who did not smoke in pregnancy. Adjustment for known CIMT risk factors (participant’s age, gender, BMI, pulse pressure, and LDL-cholesterol) did not abolish this estimate (9,4 µm, 95% CI: 1.9, 16.3; p = 0.01). Similarly, adjustment for current smoking of parents did not change the association (10.6 µm, 95% CI: 0.4, 20.8; p = 0.04) nor did adjustment for participants’ current smoking (yes/no) and pack-years (11.5 µm, 95% CI: 3.5, 19.4; p = 0.004). Offspring of parents who both smoked in pregnancy had thicker CIMT than offspring with one or no smoking parent (p _{linear trend} <0.0001), and offspring of particularly mothers who smoked an above median number of cigarettes in pregnancy had thicker CIMT than those smoking less than median or no cigarettes (p _{linear trend} <0.0001).

Conclusion

Permanent vascular damage due to tobacco smoke exposure is initiated in gestation.