Children who were exposed to cigarettes in the womb and as babies are more than twice as likely to be DEAF, finds study

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Children who were exposed to smoke in the womb and as babies are more than twice as likely to be deaf, new research suggests.

Three-year-olds whose mothers smoked during their pregnancies and who were exposed to cigarettes during the first four months of their lives, are 2.4 times more likely to suffer hearing impairment, a Japanese study found.

Youngsters who were only exposed to second-hand smoke as newborns are 30 per cent more at risk of deafness, while those whose mothers only smoked while expecting are 26 per cent more likely to have hearing difficulties.

Previous findings suggest nicotine interferes with chemical messengers in the nerve that tells the brain what sound it is hearing. Smoking may also irritate the lining of the middle ear.

Around nine million people in the UK and more than 30 million in the US have hearing loss. Approximately 15 per cent of adults smoke.

Children exposed to smoke are more than twice as likely to be deaf (stock)

'Preventing exposure to tobacco smoke may reduce the risk of hearing problems'

Study author Dr Koji Kawakami, Kyoto University, said: 'Although public health guidelines already discourage smoking during pregnancy and in front of children, some women still smoke during pregnancy and many young children are exposed to second-hand smoke.

'This study clearly shows that preventing exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy and postnatally may reduce the risk of hearing problems in children. 

'The findings remind us of the need to continue strengthening interventions to prevent smoking before and during pregnancy and exposure to second-hand smoke in children.'

How the research was carried out 

The researchers analysed 50,734 three-year-olds who were born between 2004 and 2010.

Some 15.2 per cent of the children's mothers smoked during their pregnancies, while 3.9 per cent of the youngsters were exposed to second-hand smoke at four months old. 

Of the toddlers, 0.9 per cent were exposed to both tobacco smoke during pregnancy and second-hand smoke in their early lives.  

The findings were published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 

Toddlers whose mothers smoked during pregnancy and who were exposed to cigarettes during the first four months, are 2.4 times more likely to suffer hearing impairment (stock)

It is not illegal for a pregnant woman to harm her unborn child by smoking and drinking in the UK, but some think it should be.

Others say banning pregnant women from smoking would be a gross intervention by the 'nanny state' and a violation of the mother's free will as well as unenforceable.

Smokers who vape are half as likely to ditch tobacco

This comes after research released in March 2018 suggested smokers who vape are half as likely to ditch tobacco as those who never use e-cigarettes.

Even those who just occasionally vape are 67 per cent less likely to quit smoking for good, a study found.

Daily e-cigarette users are 48 per cent less likely to ditch the cancer-causing habit, the research adds.

Study author Dr Stanton Glantz, from the University of California, San Francisco, said: 'This is important because e-cigarettes are widely promoted as a smoking cessation tool.

'And, while there is no question that some smokers do successfully quit with e-cigarettes, they keep many more people smoking.'

Although often touted as a healthier alternative to tobacco, previous research suggests e-cigarettes may be linked to heart attacks and stroke, as well as being a gateway into nicotine use.