The Acute Effect of Chewing Tobacco and Smoking in Habitual Users*

Abstract

The circulatory effects of tobacco were studied in 14 young male cigarette smokers without cardiovascular disease,' 24 habitual users of chewing tobacco,l and 25 cigar and pipe smokers3 following the use of these various forms of tobacco. The same methods of study were used in all observations of smokers and chewers.Studies were carried out in the basal postabsorptive state on each subject on three separate days. On one day low-nicotine tobacco was smoked in a constant temperature room, and on another day regular tobacco was smoked. On a third day the effect of high-nicotine tobacco on the ballistocardiogram was determined; the order of studies was variable. Skin temperatures were measured in a constant temperature room at 78" F. (25.6' C.) and 40 per cent relative humidity from copper-constantan thermocouples attached to the forehead and the volar surfaces of the fingers and toes, employing a Brown constant-recording potentiometer. Changes of 0.5" C. were considered significant. Blood pressures and pulses were obtained by the usual clinical method. The ballistocardiograms were recorded with a high-frequency table-type research instrum e~~t .~The subjects were supine and unclothed and rested for at least 45 min. prior to smoking or chewing. The period of smoking or chewing was 20 min.The young cigarette smokers were 14 convalescent male patients, without cardiovascular disease, from the surgical service of the Cincinnati General Hospital and three normal male volunteers, all of whom were habitual smokers. Their ages ranged between 16 and 41 (average age-27.2).Each subject, smoked two low-nicotine cigarettes through a silica filter on the first day and one or two ordinary cigarettes, with no filter, on the second and third day.The tobacco chewers were 24 male volunteers who chewed tobacco habitually; their ages ranged between 34 and 71 years (average age-51.1).Each subject chewed, on alternate days, a full mouthful of low-nicotine chewing tobacco (0.31 to 0.47 per cent nicotine) and a regular commercial brand (1.53 per cent nicotine). Chewing gum was used in several subjects as a placebo. The average amount of tobacco chewed weighed 10 gm.The cigar and pipe smokers were 25 habitual male smokers; their ages ranged between 21 and 69 years. Eight subjects were studied while sham-smoking unlighted pipes or cigars under identical conditions. The commercial cigars were a well-known brand containing 1.82 per cent nicotine (moisture-free basis). The low-nicotine cigars were a commercially available brand containing 0.88 per cent nicotine. The pipe tobacco used was a commercial brand containing 2.15 per cent nicotine (moisture-free basis). Pipe tobacco containing 0.72 per cent nicotine was used for the low-nicotine studies.

Circulatory disease and smokeless tobacco in Western populations: a review of the evidence

“…In the US, nine experimental studies, 13,14,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56] mainly of crossover design, consistently reported an acute rise in blood pressure following use of ST. They also consistently reported an acute rise in heart rate.…”

Is smokeless tobacco a risk factor for coronary heart disease? A systematic review of epidemiological studies

“…The 'acute' effects of nicotine and tobacco on the cardiovascular system, including increases in blood pressure and heart rate, have been well-described elsewhere [13,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

Comprehensive Parent–Metabolite PBPK/PD Modeling Insights into Nicotine Replacement Therapy Strategies

“…A PD model was added to the PBPK model to describe the positive chronotropic effect of nicotine [9,26] based on its PK. The model, which best described the heart rate including the drug effect, was a direct-effect E max model with absolute effect, including a tolerance development based on a recently published heart rate tolerance model [20].…”