Differential Effects of Electronic Hookah Vaping and Traditional Combustible Hookah Smoking on Oxidation, Inflammation and Arterial Stiffness

Chest. 2021 Jul 20:S0012-3692(21)01360-X. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.07.027. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Traditional hookah smoking has quickly grown to become a global tobacco epidemic. More recently, electronic (e-) hookahs-vaped through traditional waterpipes-were introduced as healthier alternatives to combustible hookah. With combustible tobacco smoking, oxidative stress, inflammation and vascular stiffness are key components in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The comparable effects of hookah are unknown.RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the differential acute effect of e-hookah vaping vs combustible hookah smoking on oxidation, inflammation and arterial stiffness?STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In a randomized crossover design study-among a cohort of 17 healthy young adult chronic hookah smokers-we investigated the effect of e-hookah vaping and hookah smoking on measures of conduit arterial stiffness, including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index corrected for heart rate before and after a 30-minute exposure session. We assessed a panel of circulating biomarkers indicative of inflammation and oxidants and measured plasma nicotine and exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) levels before and after the sessions.RESULTS: E-hookah vaping tended to lead to a larger acute increase in PWV than hookah smoking (e-hookah: +0.74±0.12m/s-1; combustible hookah: +0.57±0.14m/s-1, both p<0.05, mean ± SE), indicative of large artery stiffening. C...
Source: Chest - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research