SMOKING IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN YOUNG-WOMEN THAN IN MEN - THE TECUMSEH BLOOD-PRESSURE STUDY

Background Tobacco smoking is associated with a higher prevalence of a therosclerosis and respiratory disease. Objective To investigate diffe rences between hemodynamic and biochemical findings in smokers and non smokers in the two sexes separately in the Tecumseh population. Method s We studied 851 subjects. They were divided according to smoking habi ts into group 1, nonsmokers (258 men and 234 women); and group 2, smok ers (185 men and 174 women). Results Unpaired Student's t-tests and no nparametric tests were performed to determine the between-group P-valu es. Only hematocrit differed significantly between smokers and nonsmok ers in both sexes (43.9 +/- 0.2 and 44.6 +/- 9.3%, P < 0.05 in men; 39 .2 +/- 0.3 and 40.3 +/- 0.3%, P = 0.007 in women, respectively in nons mokers and smokers). Triglycerides (80.6 +/- 3.8 and 99.6 +/- 4.3 mg/d l, P < 0.001), left ventricular mass index (95.4 +/- 1.9 and 100.0 +/- 1.2 g/m(2), P = 0.008), and posterior wall thickness (9.5 +/- 0.1 and 9.71 +/- 0.01 mm, P = 0.044) were elevated and high-density lipoprote ins were decreased (48.7 +/- 0.8 and 44.5 +/- 0.9 mg/dl, P < 0.01) onl y in women smokers. After adjustment for home systolic blood pressure and body mass index the differences in women remained significant exce pt for posterior wall thickness. Conclusion Tobacco smoking is deleter ious to both sexes but it appears to be particularly harmful to women. Our data can, in part, explain why the relative risk of myocardial in farction is higher in women than it is in men. (C) Rapid Science Publi shers.