J Korean Geriatr Soc.  2011 Mar;15(1):47-52.

The Impact of Chronic Cigarette Smoking on Arterial Stiffness in Korea

• Kim JB
• Kang WY
• Kim SJ
• Hong MJ
• Park CY
• No HM
• Hong KH
• Hwang SH
• Kim W

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Cigarette smoking is an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, which is known to acutely increase arterial stiffness. But the chronic effects of smoking on arterial stiffness are still controvertial. We studied the effects of chronic cigarette smoking on arterial stiffness in Korean subjects.
METHODS
Our subjects included those >18 years of age (n=2685, 991 females) who had undergone a pulse wave velocity from July 2004 to June 2008. They were classified into two groups, smokers (n=641) and non-smokers (n=2044). In addition to the pulse wave velocity (PWV), we reviewed the highly sensitive C-reactive protein levels in a random manner when it was available.
RESULTS
Males were predominant in the smokers group. Smokers had significantly higher heart-femoral PWVs than non-smokers (1083.6+/-264.1 cm/sec vs. 1041.3+/-257.3 cm/sec; p<0.001). There was no linear relationship between smoking duration and PWV (r= -0.225, p=0.506) even after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index. Furthermore, there was no difference in the ankle-brachial index between the two groups. On the multivariate regression analysis, age, male gender, hypertension, and diabetes were independent predictors of increased arterial stiffness.
CONCLUSION
In this study, chronic cigarette smoking increased central arterial stiffness in Korean subjects.

Keyword

Cigarette smoking; Arterial stiffness; Pulse wave velocity

MeSH Terms

Ankle Brachial Index
Body Mass Index
C-Reactive Protein
Humans
Hypertension
Korea
Male
Pulse Wave Analysis
Risk Factors
Smoke
Smoking
Tobacco Products
Vascular Stiffness
C-Reactive Protein
Smoke