The Impact of Cigarette Smoking on 24‐Hour Blood Pressure, Inflammatory and Hemostatic Activity, and Cardiovascular Risk in Japanese Hypertensive Patients

810 Japanese hypertensive outpatients (clinic BP ≥140/90 mm Hg, age >50 years), mean age 72.3 years, 38% men. Excluded: history of stroke, coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and obvious present illness.

Current cigarette smoking

Non-smoking (including ex-smokers)

Incidence of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (fatal and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, events requiring percutaneous coronary intervention, or stroke)hard clinical