A new study analyzing data from over 4.6 million people found that young marijuana users are six times more likely to have a heart attack than those who do not use the drug.
Between 2010 and 2018, the study followed adults under the age of 50 who had no comorbidities. According to pre-published research in the journal JACC: Advances, the study discovered “evidence linking cannabis use to adverse cardiovascular events, including MI [myocardial infarction], ischemic stroke, HF [heart failure], and mortality.”
Cannabis users were six times more likely to have a heart attack, four times more likely to have an ischemic stroke, and two times more likely to experience heart failure, with a threefold increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular problems, heart attack, or stroke.
“Cannabis use appears to pose a substantial and independent risk for these outcomes, even in a population without traditional cardiovascular risk factors,” according to the study. “These findings suggest cannabis as a novel and under-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.”
The study’s lead author, Dr. Ibrahim Kamel, a clinical instructor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and internal medicine resident at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, believes doctors should inquire about a patient’s cannabis use to gain a better understanding of their cardiovascular health, according to SciTechDaily.
“At the policy level, a fair warning should be issued so that people who consume cannabis understand the risks,” he said, according to the outlet.
It was not specified whether the cannabis was consumed via smoking or edibles. Kamel also believes that patients should be honest with their doctors.
“We should have some caution in interpreting the findings in that cannabis consumption is usually associated with other substances such as cocaine or other illicit drugs that are not accounted for,” Kamel said, according to the news organization.
“Patients should be forthcoming with their doctors and remember that we are their number one advocate and having the full story matters.”
Kamel will present his findings on March 29 at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
