Khat Kills - Heart Warning

Doctors in the United Kingdom have warned that the chewing of Khat, a drug popular with the Somali community, drastically increases the risk of heart attack. The warning comes after the case of a 33-year-old man who suffered a serious heart attack following chewing Khat for a few days, despite having normal cholesterol levels and no family history of heart problems.

Previous research undertaken in Yemen had identified a 39-fold-increase in the risk of heart attack within heavy Khat users. Khat use has also been linked to other serious health problems, including mental health disorders, insomnia, impotence, gastro-intestinal tract problems, inflammation of the mouth, oral cancer and multiple serious health-risks to an unborn child including low birth-weight.

Despite the clearly identified risks of Khat the drug is still legal in the United Kingdom and it is estimated that some six tonnes of Khat leaves are imported into the UK by air each week. The Home Office decided in January that the drug would not be classified as illegal but that healthcare professionals should be better informed about the risks associated.

Dr Kamran Abbasi, editor of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, emphasised that the knowledge dangers of Khat use needed to be increased if there was not a ban in the UK. This week Vincent Murphy, editor of the United Kingdom based Heartzine Magazine, described the legal status of Khat as "...truly a mistake on the part of the Home Office".

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