EFFECT OF SMOKING CESSATION UPON CIRCULATORY RESPONSES TO REACTIVE HYPEREMIA AND COLD PRESSOR STRESS

Local and sympathetic nervous system stress tests were admin istered p rior to and following a 5-d smoking cessation program to determine the effects of short term smoking cessation upon peripheral circulation. Reactive hyperemia (RH) tests were performed on the forearm as a local dilatory stressor. Finger blood flow responses to cold presser (CP) s tresses were used to access stimulation of the sympathetic nervous sys tem. Measures of heart rate and total forearm or finger blood flow, pu lse volume and rate of blood delivery were obtained continuously durin g each stress test. Smoking cessation produced a significant decrease (0.01 < p < 0.05) in heart rate during both the RH and CP test sequenc es. Grouped mean peak forearm blood flow (Mean difference = 2.11 ml.10 0 ml(-1).min(-1); p < 0.05) and pulse volume (Mean difference = 0.04 m l.100 ml(-1).pulse(-1); p < 0.01) were both significantly greater foll owing occlusion during the post-cessation RH tests than during the sim ilar test before smoking cessation. Both finger pulse volume and rate of blood delivery were significantly greater (0.01 < p < 0.05) during the recovery portion of the post-cessation CP tests than during the so me period of the pre-cessation tests. Thus, smoking cessation signific antly altered both the locally mediated and central nervous system con trolled responses to externally applied stressors.