Water pipes and E-cigarettes: new faces of an ancient enemy.

In a world grappling with tobacco addiction, the hookah (water-pipe) and the electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) are creating new problems. Apart from posing the inherent danger of nicotine addiction, they both seem to be wolves cloaked in the sheep-skin of consumer-perceived safety, at least in comparison to the cigarette. However it seems that the e-cigarette may have a role in a nicotine-replacement therapy. There has been a wave of interest around the world in analysing these phenomena. The following review discusses the current data regarding the hookah and the e-cigarette. A PubMed, Medline and Google search using the keywords'sheesha', 'hookah', water-pipe', 'electronic cigarette', 'e-cigarette', 'vapers' was carried out.The studies carried out between 2007-2013 were included in this review. Information available in the public domain on internet websites was included to study the perception of the lay consumer regarding the hookah and the e-cigarette.