Abstract
To assess the relationship between smoking and alcohol use (separately and combined) on arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension.
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).
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.
Moderate alcohol consumption exerts a favorable effect on arterial stiffness in essential hypertensive patients. However, the combined effect of smoking cancels this favorable effect.
•This study shows that smoking has a detrimental effect on arterial stiffness indices in essential hypertensive patients.•While moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower levels of both PWV and AIx.•The combined effect of smoking and alcohol consumption pointed a stronger impact of the former.