Cannabis-associated myocardial infarction in a young man with normal coronary arteries

The use of cannabis is not usually regarded as a risk factor for acute coronary syndrome. However, several cases of myocardial infarction (MI) associated with cannabis use have been reported in the scientific literature. The etiology of this phenomenon is not known.

To present a case of cannabis-associated MI in which atherosclerotic coronary disease was excluded as a potential etiology by intravascular ultrasound examination, and briefly review the other possible mechanisms by which this effect may be mediated.

We present the case of a previously healthy 21-year-old man who regularly smoked cannabis and presented to the Emergency Department with ST-elevation myocardial infarction after participating in a sport. He was also a cigarette smoker, but had no other conventional cardiovascular risk factors. At coronary angiography, a large amount of thrombus was found in the left anterior descending coronary artery. He recovered with medical treatment, and subsequent intravascular ultrasound examination showed no evidence of atherosclerosis at the site of the thrombus.

Cannabis-associated MI is increasingly recognized. The etiology is unclear, but we believe this is the first report of the phenomenon where atherosclerotic plaque rupture has been excluded as the cause with a high degree of confidence.