New study: Recreational marijuana use increases risk of stroke by 17%.

Smoking, whether tobacco or marijuana, seems to be bad for vascular health, but perhaps for individually different pharmacological reasons.

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ABSTRACT

Recreational marijuana Use and acute ischemic stroke: A population-based analysis of hospitalized patients in the United States

Rumalla, Kavelin et al.

Journal of the Neurological Sciences , in press, 2016.

Recreational marijuana Use and acute ischemic stroke: A population-based analysis of hospitalized patients in the United States

Kavelin Rumalla, Adithi Y. Reddy, Manoj K. Mittal

Article has an altmetric score of 4

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2016.01.066

Highlights

•Marijuana use is most common in young, male, African American and Medicaid patients.

•The incidence of AIS is higher in marijuana users compared to non-marijuana users.

•Risk of marijuana-associated AIS increases with concurrent use of tobacco ± cocaine.

•Marijuana use increases the likelihood of AIS, adjusting for stroke risk factors.

•Marijuana use predicts symptomatic cerebral vasospasm, a proposed mechanism of AIS.

Background

Recreational marijuana use is considered to have few adverse effects. However, recent evidence has suggested that it precipitates cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Here, we investigated the relationship between marijuana use and hospitalization for acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 2004 to 2011 for all patients (age 15–54) with a primary diagnosis of AIS. The incidence of AIS hospitalization in marijuana users and non-marijuana users was determined. We utilized multivariable logistic regression analyses to study the independent association between marijuana use and AIS.

Results

Overall, the incidence of AIS was significantly greater among marijuana users compared to non-users (Relative Risk [RR]: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.11–1.15, P < 0.0001) and had the greatest difference in the 25–34 age group (RR: 2.26, 95% CI: 2.13–2.38, P < 0.0001). Marijuana use was more prevalent among younger patients, males, African Americans, and Medicaid enrollees (P < 0.0001). Marijuana users were more likely to use other illicit substances but had less overall medical comorbidity. Marijuana (Odds Ratio[OR]: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15–1.20), tobacco (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.74–1.77), cocaine (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.30–1.34), and amphetamine (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 2.12–2.30) usage were found to increase the likelihood of AIS (all P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Among younger adults, recreational marijuana use is independently associated with 17% increased likelihood of AIS hospitalization.