P.074 EFFECT OF SMOKING ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN PATIENTS WITH WHITE COAT HYPERTENSION

BackgroundPatients with essential hypertension have higher arterial stiffness indices, while smoking is related to a stiff vascular tree. However, the effect of smoking on arterial stiffness in white coat hypertensive (WCH) patients has not been investigated yet.MethodsThe study comprised 375 WCH patients (mean age 52 years, 149 male). The diagnosis of WCH was confirmed by a 24h Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) into normal range. The augmentation index (AIx), a measure of arterial wave reflections, was measured by applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor), while carotid-brachial Pulse Wave Velocity (PWVc-r) and carotid-femoral PWV (PWVc-f) were measured with Complior. AIx was corrected for heart rate (AIx75). Current smoking status was assessed with a standardized questionnaire.ResultsThe study cohort was divided in 129 smokers and 246 non-smokers, who did not differ in SBP, BMI, heart rate and total cholesterol (p = NS). In multivariate analysis after adjusting for age and gender, AIx75 was higher in smokers compared to non-smokers (26.8 vs 22.5, p