There is overwhelming epidemiologic evidence of an association between cigarette smoking and cardiovascular disease.<sup>9Benditt E.P. Origins of human atherosclerotic plaques. The role of altered gene expression Arch Pathol Lab Med 1988 ;  112 : 997

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références, 43Hammond E.C., Horn D. The relationship between human smoking habits and death rates JAMA 1954 ;  155 : 1316

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références, 106Woolf N., Wilson-Holt N.J. Cigarette smoking and atherosclerosis: Smoking and Arterial Disease Bath: Pitman Press (1981).  46

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> Autopsy and angiographic studies also demonstrate an association between smoking and atherosclerosis in vessels, with evidence of a dose–response relationship.<sup>82Sackett D.L., Gibson R.W., Bross I.D., et al. Relation between aortic atherosclerosis and the use of cigarettes and alcohol. An autopsy study N Engl J Med 1968 ;  279 : 1413 [cross-ref]

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> In aggregate, these findings support a direct link between smoking and atherogenesis.

Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of more than 4000 chemical constituents that are distributed in particulate and gaseous phases. Because of the complexity of smoke, identifying the components responsible for pathophysiologic relationships, and discerning the mechanisms by which their effects are mediated, are difficult. The past few decades have seen an explosion in research aimed at understanding the pathophysiology of tobacco-related disease, and great strides have been made in elucidating the mechanisms by which tobacco smoke causes disease. Much work still remains to be done to better understand the cardiovascular and other consequences of mainstream tobacco smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure. This article reviews the epidemiologic, animal, and biochemical data on the effects of mainstream smoke (MSS), environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and nicotine on the cardiovascular system. In addition, the authors discuss the known actions of MSS and ETS on vascular tissues and cells, and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of smoking-related cardiovascular disease.