Cannabis use ups risk for heart attacks, strokes
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Key takeaways:
- Cannabis use is associated with higher risk for heart attack and stroke, regardless of tobacco use.
- Risk for heart events increased with more frequent reported cannabis use per month.
U.S. adults who reported cannabis use were at higher risk for coronary heart disease, MI and stroke compared with nonusers, with the risks persisting for cannabis users who reported never smoking tobacco, data show.
“Cannabis use is associated with higher risks of heart attack and stroke, and these risks are independent of use or nonuse of tobacco products,” Abra Jeffers, PhD, a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital, Mongan Institute, Health Policy Research Center, told Healio. “More frequent cannabis use is associated with greater risk.”
In a cross-sectional study, Jeffers and colleagues analyzed Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 434,104 adults (2016-2020) and assessed the association of cannabis use (number of days of cannabis use in the past 30 days) with self-reported CV outcomes, including CHD, MI, stroke, and a composite measure of all three, adjusting for tobacco use and other characteristics. The researchers then repeated this analysis among nontobacco smokers and among men aged 55 years and younger and women aged 65 years and younger who are at premature risk for CVD.
Within the cohort, the prevalence of daily and nondaily cannabis use was 4% and 7.1%, respectively.
The adjusted OR for the association of daily cannabis use and CHD, MI, stroke and the composite outcome was 1.16 (95% CI, 0.98-1.38), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.07-1.46), 1.42 (95% CI, 1.2-1.68) and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.13-1.44), respectively. There were proportionally lower log odds for those who reported 0 to 30 days of cannabis use per month. Among never tobacco smokers, daily cannabis use was also associated with MI (aOR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.03-2.15), stroke (aOR = 2.16; 95% CI, 1.43-3.25) and the composite CV outcome (aOR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.31-2.4). Relationships between cannabis use and CV outcomes did not differ in analyses stratified by sex.
“Patients should be asked about cannabis use during routine medical exams or physicals in much the same way they might be asked about tobacco use,” Jeffers told Healio. “If they use it, they should be encouraged to quit or cut back on cannabis to help reduce their risk for heart attacks and strokes.”
Jeffers told Healio that more prospective cohort studies are needed examining the association of cannabis use and CV outcomes, accounting for frequency of use.
As Healio previously reported, the American Heart Association published a scientific statement in 2020 stating that there is “no documented benefit” of cannabis use for CVD prevention or treatment, adding that there is preliminary evidence cannabis use may have a negative impact on the heart and blood vessels.
For more information:
Abra Jeffers, PhD, can be reached at amjeffers@mgh.harvard.edu.
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