Abstract
Smokeless tobacco has been advocated as a substitute for cigarette smoking. On the contrary, the use of smokeless tobacco is fraught with health risk and needs to be discouraged. Previous reports have described long term harmful effects of smokeless tobacco on various body parameters, little is known about short term effect of smokeless tobacco on cardio respiratory parameters. Very few studies have been undertaken on the effect of short term use of gutkha, a common form of smokeless tobacco in India on cardio respiratory parameters of youngsters. This aspect of use of smokeless tobacco needs to be attended to. The present study has been undertaken to study the effect of short term [3-5 years] gutkha chewing on cardio respiratory fitness tests in young healthy gutkha chewers as compared to age and sex matched non gutkha chewing healthy controls. Various cardio respiratory parameters like resting HR, delta HR, MVV, VE max, VO2 max were studied by using treadmill exercise testing and computerized spirometry. In the present study, no statistically significant difference was found in any parameter studied that can be attributed to the residual effect of short term use of gutkha. This is reason enough to discourage gutkha chewers from this unhealthy habit at this early stage itself before permanent residual effects on health is seen.
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