Comparison of the Measures of Pulsatile Arterial Function Between Asymptomatic Younger Adult Smokers and Former Smokers: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Cigarette smoking, an established cardiovascular (CV) disease risk factor, is known to impair pulsatile arterial function. However, information is scant in this regard on asymptomatic younger adult former smokers. As part of the Bogalusa Heart Study, the pulsatile arterial function was examined noninvasively in 278 nonsmokers, 277 current smokers, and 104 former smokers, aged 18 to 44 years, mean 36.4 years by radial artery pressure pulse contour analysis. Compared to current smokers, former smokers had higher body mass index (BMI, 29.6 v 27.7 kg/m2, P=.02), after adjusting for age, ethnicity, and sex, and higher levels of glucose (94.8 v 85.3 mg/dL, P=.008) and insulin (15.0 v 10.9 microU/mL, P=.01), after adjusting for age, ethnicity, sex, and BMI. Compared to nonsmokers, former smokers had similar BMI, but marginally high glucose (P=.08) and insulin (P=.11). With respect to measures of pulsatile arterial function, nonsmokers versus current smokers versus former smokers had similar large artery compliance (15.2 v 15.1 v 15.1 mL/mmHgx10) but increased (P=.01) small artery compliance after smoking cessation (6.6 v 5.8 v 6.5 mL/mmHgx100), and decreased (P=.03) systemic vascular resistance after smoking cessation (1300.5 v 1376.9 v 1292.2 dynes.sec.cm-5), and increases in small artery compliance (P=.0003) and decreases in systemic vascular resistance (P=.01) were found among those who quit smoking 10 years or more, after adjusting for ethnicity, sex, age, glucose, insulin, and alcohol use. These findings, although cross-sectional in nature, indicate the potential for improving arterial wall dynamics after smoking cessation in younger adults.