Marijuana use doubles risk for stress cardiomyopathy in young men

NEW ORLEANS — Young men who actively use marijuana may have two times the risk for stress cardiomyopathy and significant comorbidity compared with nonusers, despite younger age and a more favorable cardiac risk factor profile, researchers reported at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

Researchers identified 210 participants of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample who were hospitalized with stress cardiomyopathy and identified as marijuana users from 2003 to 2011 (total sample: n = 33,343). Active marijuana users were identified by information provided by the patient in their medical history or by a marker in the patient’s urine. The mean age of marijuana users with stress cardiomyopathy was 44 years and 64% were women.

When the researchers performed a multivariable binary logistic regression analysis adjusted to known risk factors of stress cardiomyopathy, marijuana use was an independent predictor of stress cardiomyopathy (OR = 1.994; 95% CI, 1.716-2.317), according to data in the abstract.

During stress cardiomyopathy, those who actively used marijuana were significantly more likely to have cardiac arrest (2.4% vs. 0.8%) and to require an implanted defibrillator (2.4% vs. 0.6%) compared with nonusers, Amitoj Singh, MD, chief cardiology fellow at St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said.

Amitoj Singh

Stress cardiomyopathy, or transient ventricular regional ballooning, “in such a setting is associated with significant morbidity despite the young age and more favorable cardiac risk factor profile of the affected individuals,” Singh said during a press conference.

Compared with nonusers, the researchers found that active marijuana users were more likely to be younger, male and have fewer CV risk factors such as high BP, diabetes and high cholesterol.

The researchers found the link in men surprising because stress cardiomyopathy is “a disease that occurs [primarily] in older menopausal women,” Singh said.

In other results, marijuana users were more likely than nonusers to have a history of depression (32.9% vs. 14.5%), psychosis (11.9% vs. 3.8%), anxiety disorder (28.4% vs. 16.2%), alcoholism (13.3% vs. 2.8%), tobacco use (73.3% vs. 28.6%) and multiple substance abuse (11.4% vs. 0.3%).

The researchers noted several limitations of this study. Because of its retrospective design, the researchers could not determine the frequency of marijuana use or the timeframe between use and occurrence of stress cardiomyopathy, according to a press release.

“This development of stress cardiomyopathy in younger patients who used marijuana suggests a possible link that needs to be further investigated,” Sahil Agrawal, MD, chief cardiology fellow at St. Luke’s, stated in the release.