The impact of second-hand smoke on ear, nose, and throat diseases and head and neck cancers in Japan: a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire and secondary data from the national health and nutrition survey.
BACKGROUND
The risk of head and neck cancers (HNCs) and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) diseases due to second-hand smoke (SHS) have not been fully assessed.


OBJECTIVE
To determine which ENT diseases or HNCs are associated with SHS.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data from a survey of a cross-sectional sample of ENT patients (n = 1228) on SHS exposure were compared to control-subject data (n = 6598) from a Japan National Health Survey. Multivariate logistic regression and estimated odds ratios (ORs) determined whether SHS-disease associations were related to exposure location and disease occurrence.


RESULTS
SHS was significantly associated with acute tonsillitis (OR in workplaces, 2.24 [95% CI, 1.34-3.75]; OR in restaurants, 4.24 [95% CI, 2.50-7.19]; OR in leisure places, 4.72 [95% CI, 2.93-7.62]); recurrent tonsillitis (OR in restaurants, 4.24 [95% CI, 2.52-7.13]; OR in leisure places, 5.29 [95% CI, 3.31-8.46]); facial palsy (OR in home, 2.18 [95% CI, 1.25-3.81]; OR in leisure places, 3.41 [95% CI, 1.97-5.89]); hypopharyngeal cancer (OR in home, 2.51 [95% CI, 1.18-5.36]; OR in workplaces, 2.53 [95% CI, 1.24-5.15]); and laryngeal cancer (OR in home, 2.44 [95% CI, 1.04-5.68]; OR in leisure places, 2.25 [95% CI, 1.00-5.07]).


CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE
SHS may contribute to HNCs and ENT diseases, suggesting that merely being in the presence of smokers could increase the risk of head and neck morbidities.
['Tsuzuki|Nobuyoshi|N|', 'Wasano|Koichiro|K|', 'Kawasaki|Taiji|T|', 'Minami|Shujiro|S|', 'Kurita|Akihiro|A|', 'Hashimoto|Yosuke|Y|', 'Sahara|Sosuke|S|', 'Ogawa|Kaoru|K|']
Smoking tonsillitis facial palsy hypopharyngeal cancer laryngeal cancer secondhand smoke