Self-reported history of childhood smoking is associated with an increased risk for peripheral arterial disease independent of lifetime smoking burden. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Atherosclerotic disorders are well known to be associated with obesity, lipid profile, smoking, hypertension and other medical comorbidities, and large cohort studies have explored the childhood correlates to these adult risk factors. However, there has been little investigation into the childhood risk factors for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We endeavored to better understand the role of smoking in childhood in the risk for PAD in a well described cohort of 1,537 adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease. In a multivariate regression model, we observed an increased risk of PAD among those who reported a history of smoking during childhood (OR = 2.86; 95% CI, 1.99-4.11; P<0.001), which remained statistically significant after controlling for lifetime smoking burden (OR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.00-2.41; P = 0.049). Our novel observation of disproportionate risk of PAD conferred by a history of childhood smoking may reflect an unrecognized biological mechanism such as a unique susceptibility to vascular injury or an unaccounted for covariate such as secondhand smoke exposure in childhood. This observation suggests further investigation is required into the pathophysiology of smoking in the developing vasculature and the need for detailed clinical data about patterns of childhood smoking and smoke exposure.

publication date

  • February 18, 2014

Research

keywords

  • Peripheral Arterial Disease
  • Smoking

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3928325

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84895870919

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1371/journal.pone.0088972

PubMed ID

  • 24558458

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 9

issue

  • 2