Relationship between Smoking and Abdominal Aorta Calcification on Computed Tomography

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of atherosclerosis, which often develops as vascular calcification on radiologic examinations. This study evaluated the relationship between smoking-related factors and incidental abdominal aorta calcification (AAC) detected by computed tomography (CT) among middle-aged and elderly men.

We assessed the abdominal CT findings of 218 men aged 40 to 81 years who underwent health checkups. The associations between smoking factors and AAC were analyzed using logistic regression analysis to adjust for confounding variables such as age, lifestyle factors, and chronic diseases.

Adjusting for confounding variables, the risk of AAC was significantly increased in association with smoking for at least 20 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82-14.93), smoking 10+ pack-years (10-20 pack-years: AOR, 4.54; 95% CI, 1.07-5.68; >20 pack-years: AOR, 5.28; 95% CI, 2.10-13.31), and a history of smoking (former smoker: AOR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.07-5.68; current smoker: AOR, 5.05; 95% CI, 2.08-12.26). In terms of the daily smoking amount, even a low smoking level increased the risk of AAC.

These findings suggest that smoking for 20+ years, smoking 10+ pack-years, and even a low level of smoking daily increases the likelihood of developing AAC. Clinicians should recommend that patients quit smoking and stress the importance of smoking duration when promoting health in middle-aged and elderly patients.