SMOKING CAUSES A LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION IN THE HUMAN BODY

Background: There may be some positive and negative acute phase reactants (APR) indicating the possible inflammatory effects of smoking on vascular endothelium all over the body. Method: Consecutive daily smokers at least for a period of six months and age and sex-matched non-smokers were taken into the study. Cases with regular alcohol consumption (one drink a day) and patients with inflammatory, infectious, or devastating disorders including eating disorders, malignancies, acute or chronic renal failure, cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyper- or hypothyroidism, or heart failure were excluded. Results: The study included 150 smokers (99 males) and 162 non-smokers. Interestingly, the mean age of the smokers was 45.9 years, and 66.0% of them were male. Although the mean weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and hematocrit values were similar in both groups, triglycerides (163.3 versus 151.8 mg/dL, p<0.05), low density lipoproteins (LDL) (126.1 versus 117.4 mg/dL, p<0.05), erythrocyte sedimentationrate (ESR) (10.8 versus 9.4 mm/h, p<0.05), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (2.5 versus 2.1 mg/L, p<0.05) values were all higher in the smokers, significantly. On the other hand, high density lipoproteins (HDL) (41.1 versus 44.0 mg/dL, p<0.05) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (101.9 versus 111.9 mg/dL, p<0.01) values were lower in the smokers, significantly. Conclusion: Smoking causes a low-grade systemic inflammation on vascular endothelium terminating with an accelerated atherosclerosis-induced end-organ insufficiencies in the body. Plasma triglycerides, LDL, ESR, and CRP may be positive whereas HDL and FPG negative APR indicating the inflammatory effects of smoking in the human body .Key words: Smoking, triglycerides, low density lipoproteins, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, high density lipoproteins, fasting plasma glucose