Associations between smoking and alcohol use and arterial elasticity in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension: A cross-sectional study

• DOI: 10.1016/j.artres.2017.10.196
• Publication Date: 2017-10-27T20:32:37Z
• Authors: Noor-Ahmed Jatoi; Waleed-Ibrahim Al...; Afnan Al-Muhanna; Fahad Al-Muhanna; Stella-Maria Kyvelou; Faisal Sharif
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; RC581-951; RC666-701; Smoking; Specialties of internal medicine; Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system; Alcohol consumption; Arterial stiffness; Essential hypertension; 3. Good health

Objective: To assess the relationship between smoking and alcohol use (separately and combined) on arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension. Materials and Methods: We assessed never-treated newly diagnosed patients with essential hypertension (n = 446) aged 18–80 years (52% males). Measurements included aortic stiffness, assessed as pulse wave velocity (PWV) (Complior), wave reflection (augmentation index [AIx]), and transit time [T R] SphygmoCor). Results: The 446 patients were categorized as: non-smokers (n = 204), ex-smokers (n = 121), current smokers (n = 121), non-drinkers (n = 59), moderate drinkers (n = 281), heavy drinkers (n = 106). Both AIx and PWV were significantly higher in current smokers than in ex-smokers and non-smokers [(p < 0.02), (p < 0.01), respectively]. AIx and PWV were higher in non-drinkers followed by heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers [(p < 0.003), (p < 0.008), respectively]. Among current and ex-smokers there was no significant difference in PWV or AIx by alcohol consumption (p = NS), while in non-smokers AIx was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the non-drinkers followed by heavy drinkers and those with moderate alcohol consumption and PWV was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in heavy drinkers followed by non-drinkers and those with moderate alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Moderate alcohol consumption exerts a favorable effect on arterial stiffness in essential hypertensive patients. However, the combined effect of smoking cancels this favorable effect.