[Cigarette smoking in military pilots and intima-media thickness of the carotid arteries].
BACKGROUND
It is well known that smoking is associated with an increase in arterial wall thickness. However, most studies of this problem have been undertaken in age and sex heterogenous groups, as well as in patients with already present other conventional risk factors. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of cigarette smoking on arterial wall thickness of the common carotid artery in asymptomatic pilots.


METHODS
The imaging of intima-media thickness of the posterior wall of the distal 1 cm of both common carotid arteries was performed using a B mode ultrasound device, in 39 pilots (37.05 +/- 6.66 years), for whom smoking was the single cardiovascular risk factor. Comparisons were made with 49 non-smokers (35.12 +/- 7.39 years).


RESULTS
The posterior walls of both common carotid arteries were thicker in smokers (left, p < 0.05; right, p > 0,05). Intima-media thickness was significantly lower on the right side than on the left side in both smokers and non-smokers (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Cigarette smoking as the single cardiovascular risk factor was associated with the wall thickness of the carotid arteries in our study. This finding indicated that early atherosclerosis was already present in pilots-smokers entering middle age.
Jovelić
Stojan
S
Vojnomedicinska akademija, Institut za vazduhoplovnu medicinu, Crnotravska 17, 11 040 Beograd, Srbija i Crna Gora. jovelic@EUnet.yu
Hajduković
Zoran
Z
Jovelić
Aleksandra
A
Raden
Slavica
S
D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology*