Abstract

IS TOBACCO SMOKING AN IDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR THAT AFFECTS BLOOD PRESSURE?

Husain Al-Wandaw*, Ali Jamal Kareem, Abdullah Mehdi Kaitan, Manar Muaid Abdul–Wahid

ABSTRACT

Increasing evidences suggest that smoking, passive or active is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular, neoplastic and respiratory diseases. Hypertension in turn is well documented as one of the main risk factor of cardiovascular disease Cigarette smoking acts synergistically with hypertension and increase the risk of atherosclerosis, cardiac infarction and sudden death. But in reality, the association between smoking and hypertension remains controversial and waiting more research in depth. Objective: In study, and in order to minimize the effect of some other related - risk factors, such as, age, obesity, life style, health status differences etc., two groups (smokersand nonsmokers) of college students were included in this study. Methodology: Total of 100 college students, age 18 – 25 years, healthy, not obese, with no alcohol consumption and taking no medicine for blood pressure were included in this study. The blood pressure of regular smokers (58), average age, 22.38, was compared to (42) nonsmokers) age, average age, 21.69. Personal data included, duration of smoking (1 to 6 years), and number of cigarette smoked per day (average, 21 cigarette per day). The participant smokers were asked to cease smoking 60 minutes before blood pressure measurement, and offered 5 minutes of rest before BP measurement. Blood pressure (B.P.) occasion taken 1 – 2 minutes apart. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were examined using Omron platinum wireless upper arm blood pressure monitoring. Conclusion: In young adult male regular smoker college students (age 18 to 25 years), blood pressure was found to be significantly higher accounted to 81 % compared to 19% of nonsmokers.in smokers .However, 65 % of smokers showed lower DBS compared to 38 % in nonsmokers. This sharp clear effect of the effect of smoking on SBP and DBP may be to the fact that factors that affect the results such as age, life style and alcohol consumption have been neutralized in this study.

Keywords: A LipidPlus device, serum total cholesterol, NON – HDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs).