During the past year, the National Institute of Forensic Pathology (Inacif) has carried out 26 autopsies on young people who died due to cardiac, respiratory, and brain-related issues, as well as viruses such as HIV and hepatitis, whose clinical history that could be attributed to the use of a water pipes or hookahs.
Although the institution does not have the data to prove scientifically that the cases of deaths was the substances inhaled via the hookah, they can confirm that the use of hookahs was a contributing factor to their deaths as it speeds up and changes the rhythm of organs making them more vulnerable.
According to the Inacif director, Doctor Santo Jiménez Páez, their lab, which carries out autopsies on non-violent deaths, identified 26 cases that involved the use of hookahs – most of the victims were male and either died at home, at work or in the hospital.
The director of the National Pathology Institute, Dr. Sergio Sarita Valdez, also said that more and more young people are seeking emergency medical assistance due to brain and heart problems, many associated with hookah usage. He added that statistically the substances used in hookahs contribute to cardiac deaths, those deaths due to respiratory problems and strokes.
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Listin Diario
17 January 2018
