The comparative analysis of arterial wall thickness and arterial wall stiffness in smoking and non-smoking university students
Léránt, B.; Christina, S.; Oláh, László.; Kardos, László.; Csiba, László.
Ideggyogyaszati Szemle 65(3-4): 121-126
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-1442 PMID: 23136731 Document Number: 657232
Our aim was to detect the adverse effects of smoking on arterial wall thickness and arterial wall stiffness in young, healthy university students. Does only a few years of smoking result in measurable vascular alterations in healthy young people? We measured the intima-media thickness (IMT) on both common carotids by means of carotid ultrasound, then we examined the stiffnessparameters of the blood vessels (pulse wave velocity, PWV; augmentation index, Aix) with the help of arteriograph. We recruited 25 smoking and 25 non-smoking young volunteers aged 19-33 for our examinations. Exclusion citeria included any known diseases, abnormally high cholesterol levels, BMI value exceeding 30 kg/m2. Only regular smokers were allowed to participate in the smoking group (at least for six months, minimum five cigarettes a day). In case of smokers morphological, hemodinamic and stiffnessparameters showed significantly higher values compared to non-smokers. Mean bilateral IMT was 0.52 +/- 0.034 mm in case of smokers, while in non-smokers we measured 0.46 +/- 0.036 mm (this difference is significant: p<0.01). PWV and heart rate also showed significantly higher values in smoking group (PWV: p<0.01; heart rate: p<0.05). Unadjusted to age, gender and smoking status there was a significant correlation between IMT and PWV (0.1 mm thicker IMT - 0.6354 m/s faster PWV). Gender differences were found in vascular changes caused by smoking. The adverse effects of smoking on arterial wall thickness and arterial wall stiffness can be seen even at a young age, only after a few years of smoking. Both higher IMT and higher PWV sensitively predict vascular damages.