Age-related brain atrophy enhanced by smoking: a quantitative study with computed tomography

We examined the chronic effect of smoking on brain atrophy quantitatively with computed tomography (CT). Study was performed on 159 smokers and 194 non-smokers from 40 to 69 years old with neither neurological nor focal abnormality in brain CT. Brain atrophy index (BAI) which was a quantitative marker of brain atrophy reported previously, was calculated from each pixel of brain CT. There was a significant age dependent increase of BAI in both non-smokers and smokers. Smokers showed a significant increase in BAI (atrophic) compared to non-smokers in three age groups, 50-54, 55-59 (p less than 0.01, both) and 65-69 (p less than 0.05). In the male, the mean BAI became high when the smoking index increased (p less than 0.01). The systolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides of smokers were significantly higher than the non-smokers (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01). It was suggested that age-related brain atrophy was increased by chronic smoking through advanced atherosclerosis.