Cardiovascular Disease risk Factors in Male Cigarette Smokers in Calabar, Southern Nigeria

Cigarette smoking has been linked to atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disorders and various malignancies. However, the mechanism by which smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases is still controversial. One hundred and forty one apparently healthy male cigarette smokers and sixty apparently healthy non-smokers aged 18 to 65 years were enrolled into the study. The smokers were sub-divided into light (<8 pack years), moderate (8-30 pack years) and heavy (>30 pack years) smokers. Anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured. Fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides and High density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were estimated using colorimetric test methods while low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein were calculated using Friedewald’s equation. Serum insulin was estimated using ELISA. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0; level of significance was set at p<0.05. The smokers had significantly higher diastolic BP (p=0.0001), TC (p= 0.008) and LDL-C (p = 0.0001) and significantly lower HDL-C (p = 0.0001) compared to the non-smokers. There was a significant higher fasting plasma glucose in the light smokers (p=0.001) than in the moderate and heavy smokers whereas, serum TC and LDL-C levels were significantly increased in heavy smokers (p=0.001) than in the light and moderate smokers. There was a negative correlation between BMI and smoking pack years. Dyslipidaemia was observed to be the most prevalent cardiovascular disease risk factor. It is concluded that the alterations in lipid profile and blood pressure observed in this study may contribute to higher risk of cardiovascular disease.