title: Smoking, abnormal haemorheology and the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease.
abstract: Presently held views on the cause of coronary heart disease (CHD) considers hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and cigarette smoking to be the major risk factors. Large scale intervention trials which sought to evaluate the contribution of the major risk factors have failed to provide clear-cut results. Another significant, but clinically unrecognised factor in CHD is abnormal haemorheology which is exacerbated by smoking, and is associated with decreased RBC filterability. It is proposed that coronary heart disease may result directly from haemorheologic causes but occurs more often when lesions in two or more coronary arteries are associated with increased blood viscosity and poorly deformable RBCs. Treatment should be aimed at reducing blood viscosity and RBC stiffening.
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines