Evaluation of Aortic stiffness in tobacco-smoking adolescents

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 339 - 343
• Main Authors: LEVENT, Erturk, ARIF RUHI OZYUREK, ÜLGER, Zulal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Science 01-04-2004
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aortic Diseases - diagnosis; Aortic Diseases - epidemiology; Aortic Diseases - etiology; Aortic stiffness; Arteriosclerosis - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular diseases; Case-Control Studies; Echocardiography; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk factors; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Tobacco smoking; Turkey; Turkey - epidemiology; Young people; Turkey; Human; Aortic stiffness Cardiovascular risk Tobacco Turkey; Adolescent; Risk factor; Tobacco smoking; Aorta; Cardiovascular disease; Stiffness
• ISSN: 1054-139X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1054-139X(03)00302-1

To measure the aortic stiffness in tobacco-smoking adolescents and to investigate its relationship to tobacco smoke.
Aortic strain (S), pressure strain elastic modulus (E(p)), and normalized E(p) (E(p)*) in tobacco-smoking adolescents and the healthy control group were measured by a sphygmomanometer with cuff and transthoracic echocardiography. The study group consisted of 30 healthy cases (M/F: 27/3) as a control group and 30 tobacco-smoking volunteer adolescents (M/F: 28/2). Unpaired Student's t-test was used for comparison of these groups.
The mean ages were 16.1 +/- 1.8 years and 16.2 +/- 1.4 years, respectively. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was 31 +/- 7.1 and the duration of smoking was 3.4 +/- 1.1 years. S, E(p) and E(p)* measurements of tobacco smokers were different than the control groups' and this difference was statistically significant. S values were significantly higher in nonsmokers than in smokers; whereas E(p) and E(p)* values were significantly higher in smoker group.
This study demonstrated that measurement of aortic stiffness with S, E(p), and E(p)* can be used as an early indicator of atherosclerosis in tobacco-smoking adolescents.