ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effect of smoking on large arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertensive.Methods The aortic,carotid and brachial arterial dimension,intimal-medial thickness were determined by vascular ultrasound technique.Wall cross sectional area and indices of compliance and distensibility were calculated in essential hypertensive patients with smoking(n=75) or without smoking(n=70).Results Hypertensive patients with smoking have increased wall intimal-medial thickness and wall cross sectional area in aortic,carotid and brachial arteries associated with decreased compliance and distensibility.After adjusting for the confounding effects of other variables including Age,BMI,HR,BP,PP,FPG,LDL-C and TG,covariance analysis show smoking remained as predisposed factors for vascular remodeling.Conclusion Smoking aggravates large arterial stiffness in essential hypertensive patients.