Study Reveals Connection between Cannabis Use and Heart Attack

Sep, 2021 - By SMI

A study conducted by a team of researchers from Canada found link between cannabis use and myocardial infarction in adults younger than 45 years.

Researchers considered data of the survey that was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They collected data of over 33,000 adults who were in the age group 18-44 years. They studied heart attack in both cannabis users and non users. They noted every minute details of cannabis users. They revealed that 17% used cannabis in the past 30 days. They revealed that out of 4,610 cannabis users, 61 reported myocardial infarction, whereas only 240 out of 28,563 non cannabis users reported myocardial infarction. The findings of the study support earlier studies that show connection between heavy cannabis use and heart attack in people in hospital settings. This study also stresses on how consumption of cannabis can increase the risk of myocardial infarction in younger adults who are not at higher risk of myocardial infarction due to age factor. The researchers observed that cannabis users were more likely to be male and noted that males were involved in smoking cigarettes, use e-cigarettes, and consume heavy alcohol. These factors may have contributed to the increasing percentage of heart attack in this group.

Taken together, the researchers highly recommended to consider cannabis use in cardiovascular disease risk assessment. They added that patients, clinicians, and physicians should consider both risk factors and benefits of cannabis consumption. The findings of the study shed light on the growing public health concern related to cannabis consumption. However, further studies are required to confirm the findings of this study and more data are required to explain the mechanisms behind cannabis-related cardiovascular diseases.