title: Exposure to Cigarette Smoke and the Morphology of Atherosclerotic Plaques in the Extracranial Arteries Assessed by Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients with Essential Hypertension.
abstract: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between exposure to cigarette smoke and the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques in the extracranial arteries assessed by computed tomography angiography in patients with hypertension. The study included 61 hypertensive patients: 17 active smokers (group A), 18 non-smokers, declaring environmental exposure to tobacco smoke (group B), and 26 non-smokers, not declaring exposure to cigarette smoke (group C). The number of segments with plaques was significantly higher in group A compared to groups B and C. The number of segments with non-calcified and mixed plaques was significantly higher in group A and group B than in group C. A positive correlation between cigarette-years and the number of segments with atherosclerotic plaques was noted. In summary, both active smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke appear to increase the number of segments of the extracranial arteries with non-calcified and mixed atherosclerotic plaques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Weigla 5, 50-981, Wrocław, Poland. pawelgac@interia.pl.|Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556, Wrocław, Poland. pawelgac@interia.pl.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gać
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Weigla 5, 50-981, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaźwiec
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases and Hypertension, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poręba
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Atherosclerotic plaques; Carotid arteries; Cigarette smoke; Essential hypertension; Vertebral arteries