RISK FACTOR PROFILE OF NONSMOKERS WITH PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL-DISEASE

Cigarette smoking is a very common and important risk factor for perip heral arterial disease (PAD) such that a history of never having smoke d is unusual in diseased subjects. The aim of this study was to determ ine whether never smokers with PAD had a unique risk factor profile th at put them at particularly high risk of disease. The study population was derived from the Edinburgh Artery Study, which is a cross-section al random sample survey of 1592 men and women aged fifty-five to seven ty-four years. PAD was measured by means of the WHO questionnaire on i ntermittent claudication, the ankle brachial pressure index, and a rea ctive hyperemia test. Cigarette smoking was measured by use of a stand ardized questionnaire. In the 561 subjects who had never smoked, 32 (5 .7%) had PAD as compared with 12.3% in ex-smokers and 17.8% in current smokers. The never smokers with disease were slightly older and were more likely to be female than the current smokers. They had a higher b ody mass index, serum cholesterol (non-HDL), HDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and glucose intolerance, although a sta tistically significant difference (P < 0.01) between never and current smokers was found only for body mass index. The risks of disease asso ciated with each risk factor were not significantly different. The aut hors conclude that a unique risk factor profile for disease was not ap parent among subjects who had never smoked, although never smokers wer e more likely to be women and to have higher levels of other risk fact ors.