Smoke over water: what can be infected by smoking hookahs
In summer, Russians smoke hookahs more often — they are taken on vacation and ordered on outdoor verandas, meeting with friends. However, such a hobby can lead to unpleasant health consequences. Izvestia found out which infections can be transmitted through hookahs and how to reduce the risks of infection.
Hookah risks
Hookah smoking can lead to infection with herpes, fungi, and even tuberculosis. Vera Seryozhina, an infectious disease specialist at the LabQuest medical company, warned about this in an interview with Izvestia.
Hookah smoking is always becoming more popular in the summer: they are offered on the outdoor verandas of restaurants, people take hookahs for outdoor recreation. At the same time, they risk catching an infection, especially if they use one device per company.
— Hookah smoking can be more harmful than other methods of nicotine consumption, especially in terms of the spread of infections. Nicotine is harmful in itself, but its effect on the immune system is especially dangerous. When smoking hookah, local immunity in the oral cavity, oropharynx, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract is significantly reduced. This weakens the body's ability to fight infections," the infectious disease specialist explained.
According to her, the humid environment of the hookah contributes to the rapid spread of viruses and bacteria. If people smoke in his company, and there is a person with a latent respiratory disease in it, microbes from the oropharynx, tonsils and lower respiratory system can enter the flask and tubes. These pathogens move around, creating a source of infection for everyone who uses the device.
What can you get infected by smoking hookah
As Vera Seryozhina notes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is particularly dangerous in the case of hookah. These microorganisms are extremely resistant and do not respond well to conventional cleaning of hookah equipment. Strong chlorine—containing agents, ionizing radiation, or high temperatures of about 180 degrees are needed to destroy them. Such disinfection is carried out in places where patients may be. Washing under running water or in the dishwasher does not give any proper effect.
In addition to tuberculosis, coccoid flora can be transmitted through the humid environment of a hookah — staphylococci, streptococci, fungi of the genus candida, as well as numerous viruses, including respiratory.
— Atypical pathogens of pneumonia are also dangerous, which may not show symptoms for a long time, but are actively transmitted to others, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia.
As a rule, Olga Tsagaraeva, a pulmonologist at JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg clinic), adds, people become infected through contact with a mouthpiece, so it is better to use your own — this will partially reduce the risks, although it will not completely remove them. Therefore, the doctor advises not to smoke a common hookah, but rather to give up such a hobby altogether.
Why smoking hookahs is harmful
According to a survey by the Institute of Public Opinion conducted in 2022, hookahs are regularly smoked by 14% of Russians, young people aged 18 to 30 are more likely to choose them (20 and 29%, respectively), older people prefer vapes and regular cigarettes. Hookah bars, according to the Youth Parliament under the State Duma, are visited periodically by more than half (55.6%) of Russians aged 14 to 30. At the same time, according to a study by Romir Holding, the majority of smokers and non-smokers in Russia consider hookahs to be the least dangerous type of smoking.
Doctors call this belief a myth. As pulmonologist Olga Tsagaraeva explains, hookahs are harmful even outside the context of infections: their smoke contains a mixture of nicotine, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and carcinogens. Even if the tobacco in the hookah looks less harmful compared to cigarettes, it may contain dangerous additives.
— Hookahs are smoked for a long time and often. This means that they receive a larger volume of inhaled smoke and, consequently, a larger amount of harmful substances," says Tsagaraeva. — A person's lungs suffer from this: they may develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and increase their risk of developing cancer.
For example, explains infectious disease specialist Vera Serezhina, actinomycetes bacteria can multiply in a humid environment — once they enter the oral cavity on the tonsils, they germinate through the lymphatic pathways, and then enter the lymph nodes and bronchi through the lymph. This process remains unnoticed until it is manifested by cancer.
In addition, Olga Tsagaraeva adds, hookah smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and creates digestive problems, as smoke components can negatively affect the gastric mucosa. At the same time, the doctor notes that not only active but also passive smoking can pose health risks.
How to reduce the risks of hookah smoking
If a person does not want to give up hookah, even knowing about its harm, doctors advise following a few simple rules that will reduce the risks of diseases. Olga Tsagaraeva refers to them:
- using individual mouthpieces;
- Regular cleaning: It is important to make sure that the hookah is cleaned and disinfected after each use.;
- smoking control — it is necessary to limit the frequency and duration of smoking in order to reduce exposure to harmful substances;
- Health care: if you have a predisposition to diseases of the lungs or cardiovascular system, it is better not to smoke at all.
— Hookah smoking, like any form of tobacco consumption, is associated with health risks, so it is important to take into account all the consequences, and it is better to avoid this habit, — says the pulmonologist.
If symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections appear after hookah smoking, PCR tests for the differential diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infections can be used to detect pathogens in a timely manner. With their help, a wide range of microbes can be detected on a single smear and the right treatment scenario can be chosen, concludes infectious disease specialist Vera Serezhina.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
