Effect of cigarette smoking upon the finger circulation in normal and diabetic subjects.

The basal finger blood flow and the reaction to cigarette smoking was studied among diabetic patients with neuropathy and non-diabetic controls. Both the basal blood flow and the reaction to cigarette smoking were lower among diabetics. The diminution of the basal blood flow was believed to be secondary to the diabetic microangiopathy. The absence of vasoconstriction was attributed to a blockade of the neurologic mechanism involved. The site of the blockade remains open.