[Cigarette smoking further increases the risk of thrombosis in patients with mild hypertension]

Cigarette smoking and mild hypertension are well-recognized risk factors in the development of thrombotic vascular diseases. Enhanced platelet activity and reduced fibrinolytic activity has already been reported in patients with mild hypertension. This study demonstrated that cigarette smoking adds a further element of increased platelet activity to that already inherently present in hypertension: this could be an important factor promoting arterial thrombosis in hypertensive smokers.