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Medical cannabis authorization and the risk of cardiovascular events: a longitudinal cohort study

Arsene Zongo1,2, Cerina Lee3, Jason R B Dyck4

  • 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada. arsene.zongo@pha.ulaval.ca.

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
|September 11, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Medical cannabis authorization is linked to a higher risk of emergency visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular events like stroke and acute coronary syndrome. This increased risk was observed in a Canadian study, particularly among males.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Therapeutic cannabis use is rising, but its cardiovascular safety remains under-researched.
  • Concerns exist regarding the potential health risks associated with medical cannabis.
  • Understanding the cardiovascular implications is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between medical cannabis authorization and cardiovascular emergency department visits or hospitalizations.
  • To assess the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stroke in patients using medical cannabis.
  • To compare cardiovascular event rates between authorized medical cannabis users and matched controls.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal cohort study design was employed in Ontario, Canada (2014-2017).
  • 18,653 medical cannabis patients were matched with 51,243 population-based controls.
  • Conditional Cox proportional hazards regression analyzed the risk of cardiovascular events.

Main Results:

  • Medical cannabis authorization was associated with a 44% increased risk of emergency visits/hospitalization for ACS or stroke (aHR 1.44).
  • The risk was more pronounced in males (aHR 1.77) compared to females.
  • A significant increase in overall cardiovascular events was also observed (aHR 1.47).

Conclusions:

  • Medical cannabis authorization is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular events, including ACS and stroke.
  • Healthcare providers should consider these cardiovascular risks when authorizing medical cannabis.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind this association.
Abstract

Keywords:
Acute coronary syndromeCardiovascular eventsEmergency department visitHospitalizationLongitudinal cohort studyMedical cannabisStroke

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