Cigarette consumption and atherosclerosis their relationship in the aorta and iliac and femoral arteries

Abstract

Abstract The relationship between cigarette consumption and stenotic and occlusive atherosclerotic disease of the lower abdominal aorta and iliac and femoral arteries has been investigated by means of lumbar aortography. Cigarette smoking appears to be associated with atherosclerosis of these vessels. This association seems to be quantitatively related in the lower abdominal aorta, but the relationship is less marked for the iliac vessels and the severity of the disease in the femoral arteries does not appear to be related quantitatively to cigarette consumption. The failure to show a quantitative association in the more peripheral vessels could either be due to limitations and artefacts produced by the method of measurement, or suggest that the atherosclerotic lesions at different levels in the arterial tree are not necessarily homogeneous in nature.