Chronic Smoking and Its Effect on Arterial Stiffness

Abstract

Aims:The goal of this study was to investigate the eff ect of chronic smoking on arterial stiff ness at a peripheral site using pulse wave analysis.Methods: Forty two non-smokers (17 males, 25 females) of average age 20.2 ± 1.3 year and forty fi ve smokers (19 males, 26 females) of average age 24.3 ± 2.4 year were included in the study. Four parameters, SI (stiff ness index), RI (refl ection index), CT (crest time) and IWD (interwave distance) were evaluated by means of an adapted device based on pletysmographic principles that transform volume changes to voltage changes.Results: SI corresponding to pulse wave velocity was 0.64 m/s higher in smokers than in non-smokers (7.25 ± 0.53 m/s versus 7.89 ± 0.73 m/s, P < 0.001). RI was signifi cantly higher in smokers (42.49 ± 6.71 %, versus 35.46 ± 0.06 %, P < 0.001) than in non-smokers. IWD for non-smokers was 8.01 ± 0.13 %, in smokers we found a 16 % increase to 9.21 ± 0.83 % (P < 0.001). We detected a small increase in CT in smokers compared to non-smokers (0.09 ± 0.01 s versus 0.10 ± 0.01 s, P < 0.005).Conclusions: Chronic tobacco smoking is associated with endothelial dysfunction. In smokers we found increased values for all assessed parameters. Our results suggest that the negative eff ect of cigarette smoking on the vascular system can be found even in young smokers who have been smoking for less than 10 years.

The effect of smoking on arterial stiffness

“…In one study, brPWV was significantly increased in smokers; 36 another study reported higher PWV in smokers, but did not report the arterial segment that was measured. 37 Similarly, increases in aortic stiffness were also noted in smokers in other studies. 38,39 In fact, cigarette smoking was found to be a significant predictor of increased aortic PWV in White and Black individuals (R 2 ¼0.13 and R 2 ¼0.14, respectively; Po0.05).…”

“…Most studies found that chronic smoking increases arterial stiffness as measured by PWV, AIx, SI, compliance and distensibility. 24,[36][37][38][39][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]63 However, a few other studies did not consistently find this effect. 32,[40][41][42] For example, Filipovsky et al 41 and Rehill et al 42 found that AIx was significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, while differences in PWV did not reach significance.…”

Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity and cardiovascular risk factors in the non‐diabetic and newly diagnosed diabetic Chinese: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study‐CVD

“…Jatoi et al [21] described a significantly positive relationship between smoking status and PWV in 554 never-treated patients with essential hypertension. Also, two recent studies have reported that cigarette smoking increased baPWV in healthy young people [22,23], but others [24,25] found no difference in pulse wave velocity between smokers and non-smokers. We have observed that in normoglycaemic subjects, current smokers had greater baPWV adjusting for age, blood pressure and hsCRP.…”

The association between smoking and hypertension in a population-based sample of Vietnamese men

“…Even though tobacco smoking is a well documented risk factor for CVD, its association with hypertension remains a paradox [2]. Smoking is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation [3] and arterial stiffness [4,5], which are associated with hypertension [6]. Carefully controlled experiments in healthy humans have shown that smoking causes an acute increase of blood pressure [4,7], and that smoking cessation reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations among smokers [8].…”