Comparative analysis of the effects of hubble-bubble (Sheesha) and cigarette smoking on respiratory and metabolic parameters in hubble-bubble and cigarette smokers.

Objectives And Background: Hazard of smoking tobacco is believed to be minimized by smoking hubble-bubble (HB) instead of cigarettes. Our aims were to (i) develop an assay for estimating nicotine and cotinine; and (ii) evaluate the effect of smoking on respiratory and metabolic parameters in cigarette and HB smokers.

Methods: Urine samples were collected from 152 volunteer smokers (75 cigarette and 77 HB) as well as from 16 healthy controls.