The study was led by Susu Zughaier, an associate professor of Basic Medical Sciences at Qatar University’s College of Medicine.

Shisha smokers have been given a warning after researchers at Qatar University found out that smoking shisha or water pipe increases the risk of heart disease in adults.

Shisha, also known as hookah, is a kind of water pipe used for smoking flavoured tobacco. It originated in the Middle East and has become a social activity across the region and other continents, including Africa.

Xinhua reported that the study was led by Susu Zughaier, an associate professor of Basic Medical Sciences at Qatar University’s College of Medicine.

It analysed data from over 1,000 adult participants living in Qatar, according to a statement released by Qatar University on Thursday.

The researchers found that shisha smokers had 1.65 times higher odds of reporting a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, compared to non-smokers.

Furthermore, the study highlighted that starting shisha smoking at a younger age was associated with a higher risk of developing heart diseases.

It made a significant contribution to the understanding of the health consequences of shisha smoking, highlighting the need to address the public health concern in Qatar and other countries

The study report read in part, “After adjusting for hypertension diagnosis, diabetes diagnosis, dyslipidemia diagnosis, abdominal obesity, and sedentary lifestyle, exclusive shisha smokers had 1.65 times higher odds of reporting cardiovascular disease diagnoses compared to non-smokers. Dual shisha and cigarette smokers also had 1.47 times higher odds of reporting cardiovascular disease diagnoses compared to non-smokers. CVD cases had a younger median age of initial shisha smoking compared to controls (20 years vs 25 years, p=0.003).

“Shisha smoking was associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, this association did not reach the level of statistical significance within this study. A finding to consider that showed strong evidence is the younger age of initial shisha smoking in cases. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the true relationship between shisha smoking and cardiovascular disease.”