Evaluation of Cerebral Blood Flow Alterations and Acute Neuronal Damage due to the Water Pipe Smoking.

BACKGROUND: Although water pipe smoking is a great public health problem, data regarding the acute and chronic effects and the degree of toxin exposure are limited. While water pipe-related malignancy, pulmonary, infectious, cardiac effects, infertility and biological effects have been described in a meta-analysis, there are no studies in the literature about its neurologic effects.

AIMS: To evaluate water pipe-related acute neurological effects and cerebral blood flow through transcranial doppler ultrasonography and serum s100b protein level measurements.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study.

METHODS: Vital signs and baseline carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and S100b levels, cerebral flood changes with Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound were evaluated and recorded before and after water-pipe smoking.

CONCLUSION: Cerebral vasodilation develops due to the increase in cerebral blood flow rate and the decrease in pulsatility index, resistivity index values, and the elevation in COHb, S100b level indicates that water pipe smoking leads to neuron damage in the acute period.