Acute and long-term effects of water pipe smoking on the respiratory system: A narrative review

Abstract

Invited Review introduCtion Origin and nomenclatureThere has been a considerable controversy regarding the origin of water pipe smoking. While some believe its origin can be traced back to ancient India when it was invented by a physician Hakim Abul Fath during the reign of Emperor Akbar as a less harmful method of tobacco use, others suggest that it was first used in South Africa, Persia, Ethiopia, and other countries. The latter belief was supported by the fact that more ancient traces of water pipe smokes were found in Southern or Eastern Africa. [1][2][3] Regardless of its origin, trade routes seem to have helped disseminate the practice throughout parts of Asia and the Middle East. [4] Water pipe smoking has been recognized in different countries by different names. [5] Many of these names are of Indian, Turkish, Uzbek, Persian, or Arab origin. "Narghile" (a name commonly used in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Greece, and Palestine) is derived from the Persian word nārgil or "coconut." "Shisha" is from the Persian word shishe or "glass." "Hashishe" is also an Arabic word for grass, which may have been another way of saying tobacco. Hookah is an Arabic name, meaning a small box, pot, or jar. Both names refer to the original methods of constructing the smoke/ water chamber part of the hookah. "Shisha" is the name that is more commonly used in Egypt. In Iran, it is called ghalyoun or ghalyan and in Pakistan it is referred to as huqqa. [5]

Gulf Asthma Diagnosis and Management in Adults: Expert Review and Recommendations

“…There is a high prevalence of current tobacco smoking in the Gulf states, ranging in 2019 from 7.8% in Oman to 19.3% in Kuwait [111]. Furthermore, water pipe smoking is also relatively common in the Middle East, with a 3.5% consumption rate [112], which is also associated with an increased risk of asthma and asthma exacerbations in adults [113] as well as in childhood following in utero exposure [114]. Despite the implementation of smoke-free policies in the Gulf, some policies are minimal or weak according to the WHO and their compliance may be low [111].…”

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“…The narrative review of the acute-and long-term effects of water pipe smoking on the respiratory system and the accompanying commentary eluding to the recent position statement on the impact of water pipe smoking on the cardiovascular system touch on a rising problem in many parts of the world. [1] Being seen as a social function in the Middle East and North Africa allows water pipe smoking to grow among the young and the educated including health-care professions. The viewpoint on the implication of 2023 ECFMG policy changes on medical education in developing countries, sends a wakeup call to academics and other health professional undergraduate education worldwide.…”