A study conducted at the University of California in the US found that cannabis use can increase the risk of serious cardiovascular events, and heavy use is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

This study American Heart Association Journal.

Study: Association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults. Image credit: Bits And Splits / Shutterstock

background

The prevalence of cannabis use among U.S. adults increased from 10% in 2002 to 18% in 2019. In the United States, the number of cases of cannabis disorders has also increased rapidly over time. This may be due to decreased awareness of the harms of cannabis use in the general population. A national survey found that the percentage of people who believe there are health risks associated with cannabis use fell from 50% in 2002 to 28% in 2019.

Cannabis use is known to be associated with atherosclerotic heart disease. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the active compound in cannabis that has been shown to increase the risk of fainting, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Cannabis is primarily inhaled through smoking, which can have additional negative effects on the cardiovascular system.

In this study, scientists analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Study from 2016 to 2020 to uncover the association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease outcomes among U.S. adults.

research design

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey is a telephone survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 27 states and two territories in the United States. The study analyzed data from a total of 434,104 study participants, ranging from age 18 to age 74.

Frequency of cannabis use was determined by analyzing the number of days of cannabis use in the past 30 days. Self-reported cardiovascular outcomes included coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and a composite measure of all three cardiovascular events.

Cardiovascular risk factors adjusted for in the analysis included tobacco use, alcohol intake, nicotine-based e-cigarette use, BMI, diabetes, and physical activity.

important findings

The prevalence of daily, occasional, and never cannabis use in the entire study population was estimated to be 4%, 7.1%, and 88.9%, respectively. The majority of participants (61%) reported never using cigarettes. The prevalence of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and composite outcome in the study population was 3.5%, 3.6%, 2.8%, and 7.4%, respectively.

The prevalence of current smoking and daily alcohol consumption was significantly higher in daily and non-daily cannabis users compared to non-cannabis users. Significant differences in the distribution of cardiovascular events were observed between daily, non-daily, and never cannabis users, with non-daily users having the lowest estimates.

Analyzes conducted after adjusting for demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors showed a significant association between cannabis use and risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and the composite outcome of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. has become clear. As the number of days of cannabis use increased, the risk of cardiovascular events increased.

The strong association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease observed across the study population was similar among adults who had never smoked. Among participants who had never used cigarettes or e-cigarettes, cannabis use was significantly associated with stroke and composite outcomes, but not with coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction. It was.

A subgroup analysis of men under age 55 and women under age 5 at risk for early-onset cardiovascular disease found that cannabis use was significantly associated with an increased risk of all cardiovascular events tested. It became clear that there was. These associations were similar even among people who had never used cigarettes or e-cigarettes.

Significance of research

The study found that cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and the association was stronger among people who used cannabis more frequently per month.

Remarkably, similar associations between cannabis use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes are found among U.S. adults who have never smoked.

Overall, the findings highlight the need to screen patients for cannabis use and advise them to quit the habit to reduce the risk of early-onset cardiovascular disease and cardiac events.