Evaluation of Haemorheological Parameters in Cigarette Smokers in Western Nigeria
Tobacco use is widely spread throughout the world, from countries with low income economics to the most influential industrialized nations. The effect of smoking on human health are serious and in many cases, deadly. This study aimed at estimating the haemorheological parameters and examining the effects of this social behavior on them with a view to educate the smokers and the society. This study was carried out among the regular smokers that smoke not less than two sticks of cigarettes per day. Ninety (90) subjects were studied, comprising of sixty (60) smokers subjects, willingly volunteered to participate in the study and thirty (30) nonsmoker subjects that served as control for the study. The haemorheological parameters determined were packed cell volume (PCV), Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Fibrinogen concentration (FIBC), Whole blood viscosity (WBV) and Plasma viscosity (PV). It was observed that there were statistically significant difference in WBC, ESR, FIB, and PCV (p 0.05). In the correlation results, WBC correlate negatively with PLT and PV (r=-0.142, r=-0.042), PLT correlate negatively with ESR and PCV (r=-0.124, r=-0.172), and ESR correlate negatively with WBV(r=-0.065). The correlation between FIBC and WBV, PV, (r=-0.304, r=-0.077), WBV and PV(r=-0.333) were negative and all these were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The negative correlation that exist between the PV and PCV(r=-0.846) was statistically significant (<0.01). The positive correlation noticed and statistically significant were between WBC and ESR (r=0.341) (<0.05), also between PLT and FIBC (r=0.477) (<0.01). Conclusion: Smoking exerts negative influence on the haemorheological parameters and these are the contributing factors that lead to cardiovascular and atherosclerosis that usually occur in cigarette smokers and cause of their death. Also smokers are more prone to infection more than nonsmokers because of their low level of immunity.