Abstract
Cigarette smoking has been recognized as one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that environmental exposure to tobacco smoke (passive smoking), which includes exposure to both side-stream smoke from burning cigarettes and exhaled mainstream smoke, has been associated with the increase in frequency of coronary heart disease. Studies on experimental animals have shown that passive smoking may accelerate atherosclerosis, and increase platelet aggregation which induces the likelihood of thrombus formation. The resulting increase in platelet aggregation and atherosclerosis may contribute to the development of ischemic heart disease. Furthermore, not only active smokers but also passive smokers have significantly impaired coronary endothelial function, an early process of atherosclerosis. Therefore, passive smoking may be a relevant risk factor for heart disease morbidity and mortality.
