The short-term effect of water-pipe smoking on the baroreflex control of heart rate in normotensives

• Published in: Autonomic neuroscience 2006-06, Vol.126, p.146-149
• Main Authors: Al-Kubati, M., Al-Kubati, A.S., al'Absi, M., Fišer, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Autonomic nervous system; Baroreflex; Baroreflex - drug effects; Baroreflex - physiology; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cardiovascular; Heart rate; Heart Rate - drug effects; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Male; Regulation of blood pressure; Smoking - physiopathology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Water-pipe smoking
• ISSN: 1566-0702; 1872-7484
• DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2006.03.007

The aim of this study is to analyse the acute effect of water-pipe smoking on heart rate, blood pressure and the baroreflex control of heart rate. Non-invasive continuous methods were used for investigating inter-beat interval (IBI; ms), systolic blood pressure (SBP; mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; mm Hg), pulse pressure (PP; mm Hg), mean blood pressure (MBP; mm Hg); baroreflex sensitivity in ms/mm Hg (BRS) and baroreflex sensitivity in Hz/mm Hg (BRS f), were determined by spectral analysis, in 20 normotensive volunteers age of 27 ± 6 years (mean ± S.D.) who served as their own control. The measurements were taken twice. The first measurement was taken before the water-pipe smoking session (this is after > 12 h of smoking cessation with a complete stopping of alcohol, coffee or tea consumption). The second measurement was taken during a 5 min period immediately after that session. (In the smoking session the volunteer smokes 5 g Maassel (fruit flavoured tobacco) for a period of 45 min). The inter-beat interval decreased (846 ± 100 to 709 ± 109 ms, p = 0.0003), SBP increased (110 ± 13 to 123 ± 12 mm Hg, p = 0.004), DBP increased (67 ± 11 to 81 ± 11 mm Hg, p = 0.0002), PP decreased (43 ± 10 to 41 ± 9 mm Hg, p = 0.46 ns), MBP increased (82 ± 10 to 95 ± 11 mm Hg, p = 0.0001), BRS decreased (9.16 ± 4 to 5.67 ± 3 ms/mm Hg, p = 0.003) and BRS f (0.013 ± 0.005 to 0.011 ± 0.004 Hz/mm Hg, p = 0.3 ns). Water-pipe smoking induced a high increase in heart rate, SBP, DBP, MBP and markedly impaired BRS. All of those markers are known as risk factors in cardiovascular diseases, hence it is concluded that water-pipe smoking is not as harmless as is thought.