Environmental tobacco smoke and carotid arterial stiffness.
BACKGROUND
Although active smoking acutely increases arterial stiffness, the association between arterial stiffness and chronic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has not been evaluated. We used baseline data from the Vitamin E Atherosclerosis Prevention Study to evaluate the association between ETS exposure and arterial stiffness among 227 healthy adult nonsmokers.


METHODS
B-mode ultrasonograms of the common carotid artery were used to compute the carotid arterial wall stiffness index beta. Beta was compared by the number of sources and daily hours of ETS exposure.


RESULTS
The carotid stiffness index beta was positively associated with age, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). In the total sample, beta was not related to the number of ETS exposure sources. The carotid stiffness index beta increased with number of sources and daily hours of ETS in subjects with BMI > or =27.1 kg/m2 and IMT > or =0.707 mm. The association was not apparent in subjects with lower BMI or IMT (for number of ETS sources, interaction P values=0.006 and 0.01, respectively). For number of ETS sources, but not hours of exposure, positive associations were apparent among females (but not males) and among subjects > or =55 years old (but not younger subjects).


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate that arterial stiffness is adversely associated with ETS in a dose-dependent manner among individuals with higher BMI and greater carotid artery IMT.
Mack
Wendy J
WJ
Department of Preventive Medicine and Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. wmack@rcf.usc.edu
Islam
Talat
T
Lee
Zenaida
Z
Selzer
Robert H
RH
Hodis
Howard N
HN
D000328:Adult; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014026:Nicotiana
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution