Shisha is Dangerous for health and life

Shisha is Dangerous for health and life

Looking at the growing trend amongst the youth of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore to puff shisha as a symbol of autonomy and freedom believing that it’s harmless fun is factually incorrect.
A recently-released World Health Organisation report on the hazards of shisha raised concerns on its growing popularity in developing countries. Shisha also known as hookah or water pipe is a century-old habit but until recently the elderly people living in villages were its main users. Unfortunately in the past few years its use has markedly increased in major cities of Pakistan.
Shisha is different from the traditional hookah in that instead of plain tobacco the tobacco that is used in it had certain added flavours and aromatic substances. In a survey conducted last year by the Aga Khan University it was observed that over 90 per cent of the children surveyed have experimented with this form of tobacco. This included both boys and girls as young as six years old. The sad part of the survey was that most of these youngsters did not know that shisha smoke contains tobacco.
The research conducted on the use shisha clearly shows that it has serious health consequences, particularly on the lungs, heart and the food pipe. Its smoke contains hundreds of potentially dangerous substances including carbon monoxide, charcoal, nicotine, arsenic, cobalt, chromium and lead.
At the usual shisha smoking session, which lasts for over an hour, the smoke inhaled contains nicotine and tar equivalent to 100 cigarettes. Research has also shown that after 45 minutes of shisha use air carbon monoxide, plasma nicotine and heart rate are significantly elevated. Nicotine dependence may also result from repeated inhalation of tobacco smoke.
Smoking is also linked to increased risk of cancer of the lungs, mouth and urinary bladder. It is also some evidence that it may also decrease the sperm count in men. Regular users have lung functions approximately 25 per cent lower than those who do not use this.
One study has also shown that shisha use increases the risk of tuberculosis. Using shisha in restaurants or at home where children are present increases the risk of pneumonia, asthma attacks and sudden infant death syndrome. There is an urgent need to educate the public about the dangers of shisha.
Article by:

Prof Dr Javaid KhanHead of pulmonary and critical care medicineAga Khan Hospital, Karachi