Acute effects of inhalation of cigarette smoke on airway conductance

We used the body plethysmograph to measure the ratio of airway conductance (reciprocal of airway resistance) to thoracic gas volume (TGV) in a group of healthy subjects, including 23 noncigarette smokers and 25 cigarette smokers. There was no significant difference between male and female smokers and male nonsmokers. Airway conductance/TGV was significantly higher in female nonsmokers. We studied the acute effect of inhalation of cigarette smoke on airway conductance/TGV in 36 healthy subjects (21 smokers and 15 “nonsmokers”) and 22 patients with cardiopulmonary disease (all smokers). The ratio decreased after the inhalation of cigarette smoke in both groups. The effects were almost immediate; the mean duration of effect was 35 min. Inhalation of 0.5% isoproterenol aerosol reversed or prevented the effect of inhalation of cigarette smoke. The decrease in conductance/TGV caused by inhalation of cigarette smoke did not appear to be related to inhalation of nicotine or of other volatile substances. Submitted on January 23, 1961