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Published on: August 18, 2020
Association between recent cannabinoid use and acute ischemic stroke
Carmela V San Luis1, Christa O'Hana S Nobleza1, Shashank Shekhar1
1Department of Neurology (CVSL), University of Mississippi Medical Center; Division of Neurosciences Critical Care (COHSN), Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson; Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases (SS, RS, SG), Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson; Information Technology (DJV), CAP College Foundation, Inc., The Digitalized Distance Education, Makati City, Philippines; and Department of Neurology (TM), Neurosurgery and Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Recent cannabis use, detected by urine drug screen, was not independently associated with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a large patient cohort. Further research is needed to clarify any potential links.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Conflicting evidence exists regarding the association between cannabis use and acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
- Recent cannabis use is often assessed via urine drug screening (UDS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between recent cannabis use, identified by UDS, and AIS incidence.
- To determine if cannabis use is an independent risk factor for AIS.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study utilizing medical records database.
- Included patients aged 18+ admitted between 2015-2017 with UDS performed on admission.
- Multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess independent association.
Main Results:
- 9,350 patients underwent UDS; 18% tested positive for cannabis.
- Unadjusted analysis suggested a decreased risk of AIS in cannabis users (RR=0.505).
- This association disappeared after adjusting for confounding factors (OR=1.038).
Conclusions:
- This study did not find an independent association between recent cannabis use and AIS incidence.
- Findings are based on UDS, independent of polysubstance use.
- Larger studies incorporating cannabis dosage are recommended for future research.
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