The Influence of Cigarette Smoking on Serum Lipid Levels and Cardiovascular Diseases in Elbasan District

Cigarette smoking is considered an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases which means the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Smoking is as widespread and significant as a risk factor that is called as “the leading preventable cause of disease and death”. The effects of cigarette smoking in atherosclerosis initiation and progression as well on its complications are mostly responsible for the enhanced cardio and cerebrovascular risk observed in smoking and non-smoking. The aim of this study was to see the effect of smoking on serum lipid levels and to compare the deference in the levels of total cholesterol, triglicerydes, HDL-cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in smokers and non-smokers. Fasting blood samples were collected for lipid profile from 350 persons that were presented in the hospital laboratory of Elbasan. 150 of them were regular smokers and 200 were non-smokers. The two groups matched about age and sex. A questionnaire was used to take information about their age, family history with dislipidemia, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, alcohol consumption, height, weight, obesity, physical activity. The patients that match the exclusion criteria were excluded. The data collected were analysed using SPSS V20. We found that cigarette smokers were characterized from higher levels of total cholesterol (222±110.2 mg/dl) and LDL-cholesterol (148±23.7 mg/dl) (p <0.05) than non-smokers T C (168±96.3), LDL-ch (124±30.8). Mean serum triglycerides level were significantly high (p <0.01) at smokers than non-smokers. Smoking and a comparatively low HDL-cholesterol (p <0.01) were associated. Cigarette smoking effects on serum lipid levels which increases the risk for developing cardiovascular diseases.

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