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According to two studies presented at an American Heart Association conference, daily marijuana use increases the risk of heart failure by about a third and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in seniors.
This is no surprise: cannabis consumption is bad for your physical and mental health. But two new studies, presented by the American Heart Association (AHA) at a scientific session in Philadelphia, reveal that the drug may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
Heart failure: +34% risk
In the first study, 156,999 elderly participants (mean age = 54 years) who did not haveheart failure at the start of the research, provided information, via a questionnaire, on the frequency of their cannabis consumption. And this, for the entire duration of the study – approximately four years.
The researchers also took into account different risk factors, such as alcohol consumption, smoking and other cardiovascular factors.
Result ? During follow-up, 2958 participants suffered from heart failure.
Compared to non-users, daily cannabis smokers had an increased risk of heart failure (+ 34%), regardless of their age, gender or smoking history.
The study also found that when participants had coronary heart disease (a disease that occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is interrupted or blocked, editor’s note), their risk of heart failure was increased by 27%.
“Previous research shows links between marijuana use and cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation, known to cause heart failure“, reveals the lead author of the study, Dr. Yakubu Bene-Alhasan.
Increased risk of cardiac or cerebral events
In the second study, 28,535 marijuana users over the age of 65 with other cardiovascular risk factors – high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol – were observed.
The data came from theNational Inpatient Sample 2019“, a large national database on hospitalizations taking place in the United States.
Result ? The survey reveals that among the 28,535 cannabis users with cardiovascular risk factors, 20% of them have “an increased risk of a major cardiac or cerebral event during their hospitalization“, compared to non-consumers.
Additionally, 14% of consumers have experienced a major adverse heart or brain problem involving a hospital stay.
Marijuana users also had a “higher rate of heart attacks” compared to non-consumers (7.6% vs. 6%) and a “tto the highest transfer to other establishments” (29% vs. 19%).
Finally, volunteers with high blood pressure and high cholesterol had a higher risk of significant adverse events affecting the heart and brain.
For researchers, these results provide a better understanding of the cannabis-cardiovascular disease association, particularly among older people suffering from other health problems.
These two studies make it possible to better assess the cardiovascular risks linked to cannabis consumption, risks which should be monitored by health professionals, including in older patients.
Slide: Cannabis: how does it affect our body?