Validation of self-reported khat chewing amongst khat chewers: An exploratory study

Ethnopharmacological relevanceKhat chewing amongst the UK communities originating from Yemen and the East African coast is suggested to create dependency through its main stimulant components (cathinone, norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine) on the central nervous system.Aims of the studyTo validate self-reported khat chewing behaviours by measuring levels of cathinone, norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine in saliva and to explore their associations with self-reported khat chewing dependency.Materials and methodsFace-to-face interviews were conducted amongst 30 male UK-resident khat chewers. Saliva samples were collected from each participant and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) employed to extract and quantify the levels of the biomarkers.ResultsThe mean (SD) for cathinone and the composite norephedrine and norpseudoephedrine levels were 33.93 (±39.20) and 29.28 (±26.32) μg/mL respectively. These biomarkers were significantly associated (p ≤ 0.05) with khat chewing dependency.ConclusionsValidation of self-reported khat chewing is possible. Khat chewing dependency correlates significantly with biomarker levels in saliva. Replication is required.