[The effect of tobacco smoking on tissue oxygen balance]

Oxygen tension (pO2) in the muscles was studied in 90 healthy young males: 60 were tobacco (cigarette) smokers and 30 were non-smokers. In the smokers pO2 in the muscles was higher than in the non-smokers. Functional tests revealed worsening of O2 to the tissues and reduced tissue metabolism intensity. The latter occurred against the background of quantitative and qualitative compensatory reactions of pO2 regulation mechanisms directed for improvement of O2 transport and tissue aeration indicating a negative effect of smoking on the capacity of tissue cells to utilize O2 in aerobic breathing.