Background:
Peripheral arterial stiffness gives rise to the high prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It is necessary to conduct a large-scale study in Chinese community-dwelling population to clarify the relationships of alcohol and tobacco consumption with peripheral arterial stiffness. Most studies had a small sample size, and were not performed in Chinese community-dwelling population without symptomatic PAD. This analysis was designed to examine the relationships of alcohol and tobacco consumption with peripheral arterial stiffness in Chinese community-dwelling population without symptomatic PAD.

Methods:
In a large health check-up program in Beijing (2007–2009), 2624 participants were involved in this analysis, and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (crPWV) was measured following standard procedure. Physical examinations were performed by well-trained physicians. Blood samples were analyzed by qualified technicians in central laboratory. Initially, either alcohol drinking or cigarette smoking, and then both alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking, were put in one model of multivariate Logistic regression analyses.

Results:
Median age was 54 years, and median value of crPWV was 9.4 m/s; 51.8% were males, 27.6% were smokers and 30.6% were drinkers. In Logistic regression analyses with either alcohol drinking or cigarette smoking, and both alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking, in one model, cigarette smoking was independently associated with crPWV (P < 0.05 for all), and alcohol drinking was not independently associated with crPWV (P > 0.05 for all).

Conclusions:
Cigarette smoking had an independent relationship with peripheral artery stiffness, and there was no independent relationship between alcohol drinking and peripheral arterial stiffness in Chinese community-dwelling population without symptomatic PAD.