HEART DISEASE SIGNS IN 'HEALTHY' SMOKERS

Smokers who are apparently completely healthy actually show very early
signs of heart disease, according to researchers in the United States.

Cigarettes cause subtle damage to blood vessels, signalling an early stage
of heart disease that gets worse the more people smoke.

Using a wide range of techbiques, from slushy ice to sophisticated scanning
methods, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles School
of Medicine found the blood vessels of smokers do not respond as well as
those of non-smokers.

The team, led by Roxana Campisi, found that the arteries of smokers do not
dilate adequately which can increase smokers' blood pressure and their risk
of having a heart attack or stroke. Smokers and non-smokers were exposed
briefly to iced water to put a strain on their hearts, causing them to beat
faster. Non-smokers had an average of 14 per cent more blood flow to the
heart than smokers.

Even smokers who showed no signs of having blocked arteries had impaired
blood flow, said Professor Johannes Czernin, one of the authors of the
study, which was published yesterday in 'Circulation: Journal of the
American Heart Association'.

"The longer you smoke, the more abnormal the blood flow. That's something
that needs more study. Now we want to know how long it takes after a person
quits smoking before normal blood vessel function is regained."

Although the researchers found a loss of blood vessel function, they cannot
explain how it happens. Prof. Czernin said: "The only thing we can prove
here is that there is something abnormal in smokers' blood vessels even
before they develop coronary heart disease."

The research, which involved 33 healthy people, is part of a larger study
designed to find ways to detect coronary heart disease at a very early
stage and to improve the way damaged hearts work.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)