Ultrasonographic assessment of subclinical atherosclerosis in smokers aged <40 years

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. Ultrasonography is an excellent tool which is noninvasive and cheap, might be utilized as a cost effective method to screen the high risk population. There are many surrogate markers of atherosclerosis which can be assessed with the help of ultrasonography such as carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), Flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) and Ankle brachial index (ABI). Aim of our study was to assess atherosclerotic risk markers non invasively using ultrasonography as a tool in smokers less than forty years. Materials and Methods: All subjects amongst patient's attendants or hospital staff aged more than 18 years and less than 40 years with history of smoking were enrolled as cases and age, gender and BMI matched non smokers were defined as controls. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were recorded and CIMT, FMD and ABI were assessed. Results: Amongst smokers, average duration of smoking was 8.5±2.5 years. They had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than controls. The smokers had higher total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL. Smokers presented with higher values of CIMT and lower values of FMD and ABI than non-smoker controls. Conclusion: Subclinical markers are present even in young smokers who are less than forty years. Ultrasonography is a good modality to assess the surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis.