DYSLIPIDEMIA AND HYPERTENSION IN SAUDI MALE CIGARETTE SMOKERS

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of many diseases and early death, yet the prevalence of smoking has continued to increase in developing countries. This study investigated the effects of cigarette smoking on the lipid profile, blood pressure, and weight in 68 randomly selected Saudi males (33 smokers and 35 non-smokers) with an age range of 24-38 years. Anthropometric measurements [weight, height, and waist circumference (WC)] and blood pressure were obtained, and blood samples were collected to determine the complete serum lipid profile. The body mass index (BMI) and the WC were used to assess the body weight status of the subjects. The results showed that mean height, weight, and WC were not significantly different between smokers and non-smokers. Based on the BMI, most smokers were overweight (48.5%) and obese/morbidly obese (45.5%), while most non-smokers were overweight (62.9%). Based on the WC risk groups, most smokers (63.6%) and non-smokers (62.9%) had a moderate risk WC. Compared to non-smokers, mean cholesterol and HDL levels were significantly higher, and mean triglyceride levels were highly significantly higher for smokers, while mean LDL levels were not significantly different between smokers and non-smokers. As for blood pressure, both the systolic and diastolic pressures were highly significantly higher in smokers compared to non-smokers. Therefore, the results show that cigarette smoking is associated with hypertension and dyslipidemia. Moreover, more smokers had higher BMIs, compared to non-smokers, predisposing them to a greater risk for obesity-related diseases in addition to the smoking-related diseases. Further research is recommended on a larger number of subjects and investigating other parameters.