Studies suggest that regular smoking of marijuana may increase the risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
Cannabis users were 35% more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation within 10 years than nonusers.
Researchers believe the culprit is a toxic by-product of inhaling toxic fumes.
Cardiac disease is the most commonly treated arrhythmia that can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications.
At least 2.7 million Americans live with an arrhythmia, but it often goes undiagnosed because many experience no symptoms.
The latest study, which includes data from 23 million patients, also looked at the risk of heart arrhythmias in other drug users.
Cocaine users were 61 percent more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than nondrug users.
People who used opiates, including heroin and prescription drugs, had a 74% increased risk of developing severe arrhythmias.
Cannabis users were 35% more likely to develop AF compared to people who didn’t use the drug. I’m here.
People who used any of the four drugs in the study were much more likely to develop atrial fibrillation compared to controls who did not use the drugs at baseline. Those who used methamphetamine had the highest risk.
Atrial fibrillation is a common form of arrhythmia. It occurs when the upper chambers of the heart (atria) are out of sync with the lower chambers (ventricles). It can cause myriad heart conditions as well as blood clots that increase the risk of stroke.
A report prepared by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco It was published It was published in the European Heart Journal.
They wrote: “Despite being less associated with the development of atrial fibrillation than other substances, cannabis use is associated with risks such as dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. showed an association similar to or greater than that of the factor.”
“In addition, people who used cannabis showed a relative risk of developing atrial fibrillation similar to those who used conventional cigarettes,” they said.
In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s upper chambers, or atria, beat chaotically and out of sync with the heart’s lower chambers, or ventricles.
Researchers analyzed data from all hospital admissions and all visits to outpatient surgical facilities and emergency departments in California from 2005 to 2015, collecting information from a total of 23 million people.
Only a fraction of the patients included in the study were using drugs.
Marijuana is the third most commonly used drug in the United States, after alcohol and tobacco, and its prevalence is growing as more states adopt marijuana’s therapeutic and medicinal properties.
More than 48 million Americans try marijuana each year, representing 18% of the population. About 9% of first-time cannabis users become addicted within 10 years.
Meanwhile, 19 states have legalized recreational use so far, and others, such as North Dakota, are considering their own legalization measures in this year’s midterm elections.
The UCSF study was not intended to analyze individual elements of marijuana use or other drug use that may lead to atrial fibrillation. I suspect that it is likely that
Gregory Marcus, Ph.D., principal investigator and professor of medicine in UCSF’s Department of Cardiology, said: The left atrium is particularly important for AF generation.
Older people are usually at the highest risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease because they cause the heart to beat faster and with greater force, raising blood pressure to dangerously high levels.
Long-term risks associated with marijuana use have been found to include chronic lung problems and cognitive impairment, especially among young people whose brains are still developing.
A large study conducted in New Zealand in 2012 found that continued use of marijuana during adolescence lowered IQ measured in mid-adulthood from an average of 6 points to a maximum of 8 points.
Many people have theories that consuming marijuana increases creativity, but the science supporting that claim is dubious.
A recent study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, recently published, had 400 participants take a creativity test either 15 minutes or 12 hours after smoking a drug.
The researchers concluded that there was no significant difference in creativity between the high and cool groups. This led us to theorize that it was the user’s perception of creativity that was skewed when they were high.
