News: Myocardial infarction, cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis use, study shows
People under age 50 who consume cannabis are 6.2 times more likely to experience a heart attack than individuals who do not, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers also found that cannabis users under 50 are 4.3 times more likely to experience an ischemic stroke and two times more likely to experience heart failure.
The study surveyed more than 4.6 million people under 50 between 2010 and 2018, and they were divided into two groups:
- The cannabis-user group with a cannabis use diagnoses from one of the following ICD-10-CM subcategories:
- F12.1, Cannabis abuse
- F12.9, Cannabis use, unspecified
- The noncannabis-user group
In order to evaluate the long-term cardiovascular effects of cannabis use in relatively healthy individuals, those in both groups were determined to have no preexisting conditions that are often considered as cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and tobacco use.
The data showed cannabis users were often the oldest of the cohort and had higher comorbidities, including a higher prevalence of depressive episodes and larger body mass indices. Additionally, the risk differences between cannabis users and nonusers were 0.558% for myocardial infarctions, 0.312% for ischemic strokes, 0.821% for other major adverse cardiovascular events (e.g. coronary revascularization, ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia), and 0.437% for heart failure. For each of these conditions, survival probability was lower for the cannabis users. The absolute risk of all-cause mortality was 1.262% for cannabis users compared to 0.841% for nonusers.
The results of this study suggest that cannabis use is linked to adverse cardiovascular events and poses a substantial risk for these outcomes, even in populations that had no traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, cannabis may be an underrecognized risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The authors state that their findings underscore the significance of cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis use and reinforce the need for public health initiatives and heightened clinician awareness.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in JustCoding. To access the full study, click here.