Khat chewers are at greater risk of heart disease and liver damage, according to a paper published by Britain’s Royal Society of Medicine, which says doctors should be trained to spot harm caused by this habit.
Sagar Saha and Clare Dollery of Londons Heart Hospital cite the case of a 33-year-old East African man, a daily khat-chewer, who was admitted to their hospital with a heart attack.
The patient accepted a course of drugs but refused on religious grounds to attend follow-up care. Continuing with his khat habit, he returned 27 months later suffering from irreversible damage to his heart muscles.
Khat, also known as qat or chat, is the leaf of a shrub called Catha edulis. Chewing it induces a sense of relaxation or mild euphoria.
”Khat chewing releases amphetamine-like ingredients, cathinone and cathin which release serotonin and dopamine in the central nervous system,” say the two doctors, whose study appears in the June issue of the society’s journal.
”Long-term use results in increasing risk of heart attack, liver damage as well as gingivitis and tooth loss. Research also indicates that heavy khat chewing increases the risk of oesophageal cancer.”
Around 20-million people use khat in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula, where trade is open and legal, the study said.
The paper points out that the population of East African migrants in Europe and elsewhere is growing fast, bringing with it the practice of khat into these countries.
The legal position on khat varies according to the host country. Khat is legal in Britain, although some of its active substances are banned, and it is illegal in the United States, Canada, Norway and Sweden.
”Although health professionals are divided over whether a ban on khat is necessary, its use amongst migrant communities that are increasing in population must be addressed,” the paper says.
”There are no guidelines on how to treat and manage khat-induced harm which in turn affects the ability of doctors to provide holistic treatment.” – AFP
