Oral contraceptive use in female smokers was associated with greater blood pressure and total peripheral resistance increases in response to acute smoking and stress compared to non-users.
Cross-Sectional (n=52)
Does oral contraceptive use alter cardiovascular, lipid, and fibrinogen responses to acute smoking and stress in women?
Oral contraceptive use enhances vascular responsivity to smoking combined with stress, providing a physiological basis for the increased cardiovascular risk observed in women who smoke and use oral contraceptives.
The effects of acute smoking and oral contraceptive (OC) use on cardiovascular, lipid, and fibrinogen stress responses were examined in 52 female smokers and nonsmokers, half of whom were using OCs. Women smoked or sham-smoked a cigarette and then performed 2 stressful tasks. Stress elicited increases in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and in triglycerides among women who smoked, and in fibrinogen among all women. Smokers who used OCs had greater blood pressure increases to smoking and to stress than did smokers who did not use OCs. OC use was also associated with enhanced total peripheral resistance stress responses among women who smoked and cardiac output stress responses among women who sham-smoked. Results suggest that OC use moderates cardiovascular reactivity in smokers but not nonsmokers, enhancing vascular responsivity to smoking combined with stress and myocardial responsivity to stress alone.
Mary C. Davis (Fri,) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy female smokers and nonsmokers (n=52). Acute smoking and oral contraceptive use vs. Sham-smoking and no oral contraceptive use was evaluated on Cardiovascular, lipid, and fibrinogen stress responses. Oral contraceptive use in female smokers was associated with greater blood pressure and total peripheral resistance increases in response to acute smoking and stress compared to non-users.