WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Two new studies found that cannabis use is linked to a higher risk of heart attacks, even among young and otherwise healthy individuals. The findings, based on a large-scale retrospective study of more than 4.6 million people, were published in JACC Advances.
'Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians' workup to understand patients' overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,' said Dr. Ibrahim Kamel, the study's lead author and clinical instructor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
All participants involved in the study were under 50 and had no significant cardiovascular conditions at the start of the study. Their blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, and other key health markers were within normal ranges, and they had no history of diabetes, tobacco use, or coronary artery disease.
Over an average follow-up period of more than three years, researchers found that cannabis users under 50 had more than a sixfold increase in heart attack risk and were twice as likely to develop heart failure compared to non-users.
Additionally, a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies, the largest pooled study on this topic to date, revealed that marijuana use was associated with a 50 percent higher risk of heart attacks.
The risks extended beyond heart attacks. Marijuana users had a fourfold increased risk of ischemic stroke, a condition caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain, as well as a threefold higher risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, or stroke.
However, lead researcher Kamel noted some limitations as the study did not account for the frequency or duration of cannabis use, nor did it examine other potential contributing factors.
'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.
'Patients should be forthcoming with their doctors and remember that we are their number one advocate and having the full story matters.'
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