Cardiovascular Business
Marijuana use is associated with a heightened risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), according to new data published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
The authors suggest that findings from the study may explain the link between cannabis and cardiovascular events, including stroke and MI.
“Our results corroborate recent findings linking cannabis use to premature ASCVD, independent of traditional atherosclerotic risk factors or concomitant use of other drugs,” wrote lead author Travis M. Skipina, MD, of the department of internal medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine and colleagues.
Skipina et al. explored data from 7,159 patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey years 2011 to 2018.
The composite CVD risk was assessed using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 10-year ASCVD score.
Forty-eight percent of patients were men, and the median age was 37.8 years old.
In the analysis, nearly 63% of patients had ever used cannabis.
Meanwhile, any level of cannabis use was linked with a 60% increased chance of high-risk ASCVD score.
The authors observed a dose-response relation between increased use of cannabis and a higher risk of ASCVD.
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