Smoking and relation to other risk factors in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease, with particular reference to whole blood viscosity and beta-cell function.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate possible associations between smoking habits and other coronary risk factors in postmenopausal women with known coronary heart disease (CHD).


METHODS
The study was conducted at a university clinic.


METHODS
A total of 118 postmenopausal women with CHD verified with angiography, consecutively recruited.


METHODS
Conventional treatment for CHD. The women were randomized to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with transdermal 17-beta oestradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate, or to a control group.


RESULTS
Smokers were younger (P = 0.005), had lower body mass index (P = 0.04) and lipoprotein Lp(a) levels (P = 0.02) compared with nonsmokers. Smokers had reduced beta-cell function (homeostasis model assessment, P = 0.006), whereas whole blood viscosity (WBV) was higher at all shear rates. WBV was not affected by HRT over a 12-month period. Oestrone levels were higher in smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking adversely affects insulin secretion (beta-cell function) and WBV in postmenopausal women with established CHD, which could be of importance as a mechanism for the increased risk of CHD in smokers. The importance of smoking as a risk factor, overrides the effect of Lp(a), which is lower in smokers compared with nonsmokers.
Os
I
I
Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, Postbox 1065, Blindern, University of Oslo, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway. ingrid.os@labmed.uio.no
Høieggen
A
A
Larsen
A
A
Sandset
P M
PM
Djurovic
S
S
Berg
K
K
Os
A
A
Birkeland
K
K
Westheim
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000502:physiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids; D017270:Lipoprotein(a)