title: Medical perspective: does smoking cessation affect casual or ambulatory blood pressure?.
abstract: Hypertension and smoking are common problems in the primary medical care setting. Together they interact to increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease [1]. Smoking increases the cardiovascular risk of hypertension for any level of systolic or diastolic blood pressure [1] possibly by effects on hemostatic function [2], lipoproteins [3], peroxidation and oxidative damage [4], or mechanisms yet to be determined. Accordingly, the fifth Joint National Committee (JNC-V) for the Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension guidelines recommend that hypertensive patients be routinely asked to stop smoking as a first-line lifestyle modification [5]. While the benefits of smoking cessation on cardiovascular risk are clear, the short- and long-term effects of smoking cessation on ambulatory blood pressure are largely unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Oncken