Association between tobacco smoke exposure and levels of C-reactive protein in the Oslo II Study.

It is well known that tobacco smoke exposure is related to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and events. One mechanism could be that tobacco smoke acts on the cardiovascular system by altering the autonomic function and/or inducing inflammatory responses. We used data from 3 744 men aged 67-77 years from the city of Oslo that participated in the health screening for the Oslo II Health Study in 2000, to explore associations between C-reactive protein and environmental exposures including exposure to tobacco smoke products.