Smoking status, intensity of smoking and their relation to left ventricular hypertrophy in working aged Korean men.

INTRODUCTION Smoking is an established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of smoking on left ventricular (LV) structure has been less studied. This study was designed to assess the association of smoking status and smoking intensity with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS Study subjects were 53,666 working aged Korean men who received echocardiography as an item of health check-up. They were grouped by smoking status (never, former and current smoker), pack-year of smoking (never, 1000: 1.97 [1.43-2.72]). The proportions of abnormal LV geometry patterns were higher in smoking groups than never smoking group. CONCLUSION Exposure to tobacco use and intensity of smoking were associated with LVH in working aged population.