Gender difference in the influence of smoking on arterial wall thickness.
BACKGROUND
We hypothesized that arterial wall thickening, an early atherogenic alteration, might be associated with smoking differently according to gender, considering the cardiovascular protection of female sex hormones.


RESULTS
We measured ultrasonographically carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (IMT) in 194 men and 330 women without risk factors other than smoking. In men: (i) current smokers had greater carotid and femoral IMT (P<0.01, P<0.001) and former smokers had greater femoral IMT (P<0.01) than never smokers; (ii) in pooled never, current and former smokers carotid and femoral IMT correlated to current daily smoking (P<0.01) and lifelong smoking (P<0.001); and (iii) carotid and femoral IMT correlated to age in never smokers (P<0.001), current smokers (P<0.01, P<0.001) and former smokers (P<0.01), with greater slopes in current than in former smokers at carotid site (P<0.05) and in current than in never smokers at femoral site (P<0.05). In women: (i) IMT did not differ by smoking status; (ii) in pooled smokers and non smokers femoral IMT correlated to current daily smoking (P=0.01) and to lifelong smoking (P<0.01) with a lower slope than in men (P<0.001), while carotid IMT did not; and (iii) carotid and femoral IMT correlated to age in never smokers (P<0.001), current smokers (P<0.001, P<0.05) and former smokers (P<0.001, P<0.01) with no different slopes.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking-related increase in IMT existed in men but not in women, suggesting a possible protection of female gender from early structural arterial alteration of smoking.
Gariepy
J
J
Centre de Médecine Préventive Cardiovasculaire, Hôpital Broussais, 96 Rue Didot, 75674 cedex 14, Paris, France.
Denarie
N
N
Chironi
G
G
Salomon
J
J
Levenson
J
J
Simon
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography