P2.43 Smoking Hypertensive Men have More Pronounced Early Arterial Damage as Compared to Non-Smoking Hypertensive Men with Higher Body Mass Index

Objective It is well known that smoking and obesity are cardiovascular risk factors. However, many smokers fear to stop, thinking that following increase in weight will counterbalance the positive effect of smoking cessation. Our aim was to analyze the effect of smoking and obesity on early arterial damage in hypertensive men. Methods Hypertensive men without cardiovascular disease were included into the study (n = 88, age 48.8±4.1). All patients underwent detailed assessment of cardiovascular risk. Carotid ultrasound (Art Lab System V.2.0), measurements of arterial stiffness and aortic blood pressure by applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor v.7.01) and sphygmomanometry (Vasera VS-1000) were performed in order to evaluate early arterial damage. Results Smokers (n = 30) were younger as compared to non-smokers (n = 58) — 48.5±3.91 vs. 49.28±5.0 years, p