Unexpected Arrhythmia in a Young Patient: Hookah Smoking Triggered Atrial Fibrillation
Abstract
In the current literature, although it has been known that hookah smoking increases the heart rate and predisposes to arrhythmia, no case report has been published regarding hookah smoking and the development of arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation (AF). In this case report, we presented an adult patient without known cardiovascular disease who experienced AF after a heavy hookah smoking session. Following IV amiodarone infusion, normal sinus rhythm was achieved. The patient was advised to stop hookah smoking and discharged with a beta-blocker therapy and an oral anticoagulant treatment for 3 weeks. The patient’s rhythm was normal at one-month outpatient visit. This case emphasizes that hookah smoking could not be considered as a less harmful alternative to cigarette smoking because of its’ apparent side effects to the cardiovascular system.
Keywords
References
- 1. Shihadeh A, Saleh R. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, “tar”, and nicotine in the mainstream smoke aerosol of the narghile waterpipe. Food Chem Toxicol. 2005;43:655–61.
- 2. Schubert J, Hahn J, Dettbarn G, Seidel A, Luch A, Schulz TG. Mainstream smoke of the waterpipe: does this environmental matrix reveal as significant source of toxic compounds? Toxicol Lett. 2011;205:279-84.
- 3. Shihadeh A. Investigation of mainstream smoke aerosol of the argileh waterpipe. Food Chem Toxicol. 2003; 41:143–52.
- 4. Jacob P 3rd, Abu Raddaha AH, Dempsey D, Havel C, Peng M, Yu L, et al. Nicotine, carbon monoxide, and carcinogen exposure after a single use of a water pipe. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011;20:2345-53.
- 5. Shihadeh A, Salman R, Jaroudi E, Saliba N, Sepetdjian E, Blank MD, et al. Does switching to a tobacco-free waterpipe product reduce toxicant intake? A crossover study comparing CO, NO, PAH, volatile aldehydes, “tar” and nicotine yields. Food Chem Toxicol. 2012;50:1494-8.
- 6. El-Nachef W, Hammond S. Exhaled carbon monoxide with waterpipe use in us students. JAMA. 2008;299:36–8.
- 7. Elsayed Y, Dalibalta S, Abu-Farha N. Chemical analysis and potential health risks of hookah charcoal. Sci Total Environ. 2016;569-570:262–8.
- 8. Jaquet FS, Shapiro D, Uijtdehaage SHJ. The acute effects of smoking on heart rate and blood pressure: an ambulatory study. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp. 1994;9:273–83.
- 9. Al-Safi SA. Does smoking affect blood pressure and heart rate? Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2005;4:286–9.
- 10. Quillen JE, Rossen JD, Oskarsson HJ, Minor RL Jr, Lopez AG, Winniford MD. Acute effect of cigarette smoking on the coronary circulation: constriction of epicardial and resistance vessels. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1993;22:642-7.