Objective: To determine whether early vascular aging may be present in flight attendants with remote in-cabin secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.
Methods: Twenty-six flight attendants with a history of in-cabin SHS exposure prior to the airline smoking bans were recruited. Pulse wave analysis, peripheral arterial tonometry, and brachial artery reactivity testing evaluated their arterial compliance and endothelial function.
Results: Flight attendants with remote in-cabin SHS exposure have normal blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and reactive hyperemia index, but abnormal pulse pressure, augmentation index, flow-mediated dilation, and hyperemic mean flow ratio.
Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that flight attendants with remote in-cabin SHS exposure have preclinical signs of accelerated vascular aging and raise new questions about the relationship between remote SHS exposure and vascular health.