New York: Researchers say smoking may increase the risk of developing hypertension by impairing the body's blood pressure autocorrect system. Lawrence Sinoway from Penn State University in the US said, "The human body has a buffering system that continuously monitors and maintains healthy blood pressure. If blood pressure drops, a response called muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) is triggered to bring blood pressure back up to normal levels. An additional system -- called the baroreflex -- helps correct if blood pressure gets too high."

According to Sinoway, the study found that after a burst of MSNA, the rise in blood pressure in a chronic smoker was about twice as great as in a non-smoker, pushing blood pressure to unhealthy levels. The researchers suspect that impairment of baroreflex may be the culprit.