The smoking group included 13 men and 3 women who had been smoking for between 11 and 39 years. The comparison group included 10 men and 7 women. The researchers gave both groups a series of tests to determine how well their coronary arteries dilated or widened to demands for increased blood flow. Test results showed that the smokers' arteries did not adapt as well, or dilate as much, as the nonsmokers' arteries. And the longer an individual had been smoking, the more marked the reduction in blood flow through the coronary arteries under stress, the researchers found.
Previous research suggests that smoking can damage the endothelium.
And studies suggest that endothelial damage can contribute to the development of heart disease. This page, and other ASH web pages, may be freely copied and reproduced in print or on other web pages.