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Review
. 2021 Oct 22:19:81.
doi: 10.18332/tid/142521. eCollection 2021.

The adverse health effects of waterpipe smoking in adolescents and young adults: A narrative review

Olorunfemi Adetona  1 , Sarah Mok  1 , Jenna Rajczyk  2 , Marielle C Brinkman  2 , Amy K Ferketich  2
Affiliations
Review

The adverse health effects of waterpipe smoking in adolescents and young adults: A narrative review

Olorunfemi Adetona et al. Tob Induc Dis. .

Abstract

Waterpipe (WP) smoking has rapidly grown in popularity in the United States and other Western countries with the fastest uptake among younger individuals. This growth has been encouraged by the misperception that WP smoke is harmless or less harmful than cigarette smoke. To better understand how WP affects the health of young people, we conducted a narrative review of the literature focusing on the adverse health effects of WP smoking in adolescents and younger adults. We searched scientific literature databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web and selected papers that met the inclusion criteria. Sixty-three papers met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review. Data were abstracted from the selected papers into a standardized table. The evidence demonstrates that WP smoking can cause acute lung infection and injury, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, in adolescents and young adults. It is also associated with adverse subclinical effects in this sub-population, including oral and systemic genotoxicity, lung function decline, and the alteration of vascular and hemodynamic functions. Limited evidence that is available indicates associations with psychological and neurological effects and asthma. No identified publications examined the association between WP use and type 2 diabetes, a condition that is associated with cigarette smoking among young people. WP smoking by younger individuals can result in their hospitalization due to systemic CO poisoning and acute lung disease, and induce subclinical adverse effects in the oral cavity, pulmonary system, and in circulation, that are involved in the pathogenesis of local and systemic chronic diseases.

Keywords: adolescents; hookah; tobacco; waterpipe; young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. O. Adetona, S. Mok, J. Rajczyk and M.C. Brinkman report that since the initial planning of the work a grant was paid to their institution by the US National Institutes of Health. A.K. Ferketich reports that since the initial planning of the work she received from NIH a grant (R01CA229306).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A waterpipe (the charcoal, for heating, and foil are placed on top of the tobacco in the head, but are not pictured)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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