Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is contradictory research evidence for the relationship between hookah smoking and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The increasing popularity of hookah smoking and its effects on health has become a significant concern. This study aimed to explore the effect of hookah smoking on the risk of H. pylori infection in Bandar Abbas, Iran. METHODS: The current case-control study was conducted on 320 participants over 15 years of age (160 patients and 160 controls) between October 2023 and January 2024. The case group was found with a positive H. pylori test, and the control group with a negative test result. Then the status of hookah smoking and other variables was compared between these two groups. For data collection, a multi-section researcher-made checklist was used to explore demographic information, tobacco consumption, and physical examinations. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were run to determine the risk factors. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of the case and control age groups were 38.18 ± 13.39, 35.70 ± 13.30, respectively. The results showed no statistically significant relationship between hookah smoking and the prevalence of H. pylori infection among the participants (OR: 1.49, p value: 0.170). Participants younger than 18 had 55% lower chances of the H. pylori (OR: 0.45, p value: 0.015). Compared to the single, the married had 72% lower chances of H. pylori infection (OR: 0.28, p value: 0.001). Those with a university degree had 61% lower chances of transmitting H. pylori than the illiterate or those with primary education (OR: 0.40, p value: 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings provide significant insights into the relationship between hookah smoking and H. pylori infection. As the findings showed, hookah smoking may not be a contributing factor in getting H. pylori infection. The results point to the complexity of factors influencing H. pylori incidence.