CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 22, No 1, January/February 2011
24
AFRICA
Study limitations
Limitations in scientific research are difficult to avoid, and this
study is no exception. Firstly, it was not possible to match the
two ethnic groups for SES. Secondly, the study made use of
volunteers, and subjects were therefore not selected on a random
basis. This sampling method may also have influenced the differ-
ence in the number of smokers in the two ethnic groups. Thirdly,
coagulation markers did not form part of this study, especially
since it is known that Africans suffer from very high levels of
fibrinogen,
20
and since smoking plays an important role with
regard to coagulation.
1,4
Conclusion
African smokers had significantly increased arterial stiffness,
which was not found in the Caucasian smokers. Africans also
showed more associations between smoking and cardiovascular
dysfunction than the Caucasians. A high degree of urbanisa-
tion among Africans,
39
coupled with higher smoking prevalence
might be to blame for the high prevalence of cardiovascular
diseases in the African population.
We thank the participants, as well as all supporting staff (C Lessing, CF
Scholtz, IM Palmer) and postgraduate students, for their involvement in
this project. We thank specifically Profs HW Huisman, JM van Rooyen, L
Malan, NT Malan and Dr M Reimann for the cardiovascular measurements.
We also thank our sources of support: the South African National Research
Foundation (GUN 2073040), the Medical Research Council and Africa
Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR) of the North-West
University (Potchefstroom campus).
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