Secondhand smoke may provoke inflammatory response in lungs
Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 19:21
in Health & Medicine
Secondhand smoke is associated with a number of diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease and emphysema. It is an irritant to lung tissue and blood vessels, but the processes through which the body reacts to second-hand smoke is a mystery scientists are beginning to unravel. Researchers are now studying how second-hand smoke affects the lungs of rats. So far it appears that second-hand smoke triggers a complex inflammatory response.