Aims: The goal of this study was to investigate the eff ect of chronic smoking on arterial stiff ness at a peripheralsite using pulse wave analysis. Methods: Forty two non-smokers (17 males, 25 females) of average age 20.2 ± 1.3 year and forty fi ve smokers(19 males, 26 females) of average age 24.3 ± 2.4 year were included in the study. Four parameters, SI (stiff ness index),RI (refl ection index), CT (crest time) and IWD (interwave distance) were evaluated by means of an adapted devicebased on pletysmographic principles that transform volume changes to voltage changes. Results: SI corresponding to pulse wave velocity was 0.64 m/s higher in smokers than in non-smokers (7.25 ±0.53 m/s versus 7.89 ± 0.73 m/s, P < 0.001). RI was signifi cantly higher in smokers (42.49 ± 6.71 %, versus 35.46 ±0.06 %, P < 0.001) than in non-smokers. IWD for non-smokers was 8.01 ± 0.13 %, in smokers we found a 16 % increaseto 9.21 ± 0.83 % (P < 0.001). We detected a small increase in CT in smokers compared to non-smokers (0.09 ± 0.01 sversus 0.10 ± 0.01 s, P < 0.005). Conclusions: Chronic tobacco smoking is associated with endothelial dysfunction. In smokers we found increasedvalues for all assessed parameters. Our results suggest that the negative eff ect of cigarette smoking on the vascularsystem can be found even in young smokers who have been smoking for less than 10 years.

Department of Medical Biophysics Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc

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