Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the acute effects of smoking over the endothelial function and central arterial hemodynamics, in healthy and young smokers.

Methods: Thirty healthy young individuals, were allocated into two groups, matched for gender and age, according to their smoking habits: control group (CG; n=15 non-smokers) and intervention group (IG; n=15 smokers). All the individuals were submitted to two clinical evaluations, basal and following 30 minutes (after smoking a cigar in the IG). Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse wave analysis over the carotid artery (PWA) were assessed.

Results: CG and IG groups had similar baseline clinical and demographic characteristics, although the IG showed lower baseline FMD values (7.53±2.80% versus 12.47±4.63% in the CG; p=0.001). The pairwise analysis revealed significant variations in the IG, but not in the CG, with an increase in HR, brachial and central BP and PWV, and a significant decrease in FMD, revealing an important acute compromise of endothelium-dependent vasodilation after the cigar in the IG, with no changes in the CG.

Conclusion: Smoking has an acute and noteworthy pernicious effect over the vascular function in young and healthy individuals, compromising endothelium-dependent vasodilation, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and aortic stiffness.