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Secondhand smoke increases the risk of dementia syndrome
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A study conducted by an international team of specialists from China, Great Britain and the USA has established a link between passive smoking and dementia syndrome.
Dementia syndrome is characterized by a certain disturbance of behavioral reactions and changes in the patient's personality, as well as a disorder of thinking processes.
A study of nearly 6,000 people in five provinces across China shows that people exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of developing severe dementia.
Inhaling tobacco smoke is known to cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. However, until now it was not certain whether passive smoking increases the risk of developing dementia, mainly due to the lack of studies that could trace this relationship. Previous studies conducted by scientists have shown a link between passive smoking and cognitive impairment, but the current study is the first in which experts have found a link between the impact of tobacco smoke on the human body and the development of dementia syndrome.
The study, published in the journal Mental Medicine and Ecology, is the result of collaboration between scientists from King's College London and Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, as well as their colleagues from the United States.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly eighty percent of the world's more than one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries, where tobacco smoking is one of the most common causes of illness and death. Only eleven percent of the world's population is protected by comprehensive anti-smoking laws.
China is the world's number one consumer of tobacco products. Of course, this is due to the size of China's population, but the numbers are impressive - there are 350 million smokers in this country. Since 2006, the Chinese government has been actively implementing a program to restrict smoking in hospitals, schools, public transport and other public places, but the implementation of the program, however, has not had a significant impact on reducing the army of smokers.
Recent data show that rates of passive smoking remain high, and China has the world's largest number of people with dementia.
Scientists conducted a survey and examination among 5,921 people over the age of 60 and found that ten percent of respondents suffered from dementia syndrome. The development of the syndrome was largely influenced by prolonged exposure to passive smoking. Symptoms of the disease were found in people who had never smoked, as well as in former and current smokers.
"We now know that about 90 percent of the world's population lives in countries where smoking in public places is not prohibited. More anti-smoking campaigns and anti-tobacco programs in general will reduce the risk of severe dementia syndromes and could have a beneficial effect on reducing dementia rates worldwide," the researchers conclude.
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