DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i11.008

Pages: 4335-4339

Endothelial dysfunction causing pathologies associated with smoking alters blood flow to the skin. Skin blood flow is controlled through the release of compounds by vascular endothelium. The changes in peripheral blood flow are attributed to sympathetic discharge during breath holding in smokers. The objective of this study was to compare skin blood flow in smokers and non-smokers at rest and during breathe holding and to correlate alterations with duration of smoking. 50 smokers and 50 non-smokers without any history of respiratory disease, cardiac disease or any other chronic disease were included in the study. Careful monitoring of blood flow to the index finger was done. Readings at rest during normal breathing, during breath holding and just after first breath were recorded. A total of 50 smokers and 50 non-smokers were included in the study .The mean resting index finger blood flow was found to be greater in smokers (525 ± 200) when compared with control subjects (448 ± 197). The blood flow in controls and smokers during breath holding was (257 ± 141) and (338 ± 185) respectively and the difference was statistically significant (0.015).it was found that the people who were smoking for more than 10 years show higher resting blood flow (570 ± 203) and also during breath holding (364 ±213) when compared with the people smoking for less than 10 years which was (459 ± 178) and (300 ±128) during rest and breath holding respectively. Our findings indicate that the mean index finger blood flow was found to be significantly greater in smokers than control subjects which increased proportionately with the duration of smoking.