Objective: Cigarette smoking has been clearly pointed out as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial dysfunction contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) has been known as one of the endothelial function markers. We investigated the acute and chronic effects of smoking on endothelial function in college-aged smokers.
Methods: Eighteen smokers (mean age: 21 +/- 1 y) and 14 non-smokers (mean age: 20 +/- 1 y) were enrolled in this study. Brachial-ankle pulsed wave velocity (baPWV), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were measured using a plethysmograph. Endothelium- dependent FMD was induced by reactive hyperaemia. High-resolution ultrasound with a 7.5-MHz linear array transducer was used to measure the diam- eter of the right brachial artery. Measurement of baPWV, SBP, DBP, HR, artery diameter, and %FMD was performed in smokers and non-smokers after 10 min bed rest, and after smoking one cigarette in the smokers. The interval between the two measurements was more than 15 minutes.
Results: There were no significant differences on baPWV, SBP, DBP, HR, baseline brachial artery diameter between smokers and non-smokers. Percent FMD after smoking was significantly lower than that at rest values in smokers (8.7 +/- 4.0 vs. 5.3 +/- 2.4, P < 0.005), although %FMD at rest was not significantly different between smokers and non-smokers. No other markers showed any significant differences between smokers at rest and after smoking.
Conclusion: Even the smoking of one cigarette dramatically impaired endothelial function, although habitual cigarette smoking did not decrease FMD in young healthy smokers.