Cannabis tied to severe heart attack risk in younger adults

https://news.yahoo.com/cannabis-tied-severe-heart-attack-223154289.html

By Reuters Staff
,Reuters•November 25, 2019

Teens and young adults who use cocaine, amphetamines or cannabis are more likely to be hospitalized for heart attacks by early adulthood than their counterparts who don't use these drugs, a recent study suggests.

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Overall, the risk of a heart attack hospitalization was 3.9 times higher for cocaine users, 2.3 times higher for amphetamine users, and 30% higher for cannabis users than for non-users of these drugs.

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Cannabis users appeared to have worse outcomes after a heart attack than patients who used other substances.


Almost 15% of cannabis users had severe illness when they were admitted for a heart attack, a greater proportion than was seen with cocaine or amphetamine users.


The average inpatient hospital charge for cannabis users who had heart attacks was $53,608, compared with $49,979 with cocaine and $43,720 with amphetamine.


Overall, 2.7% of the heart attack patients died in the hospital. While 2% of cannabis abusers who had heart attacks died during their stay, none of the cocaine or amphetamine users who had heart attacks died.


SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2XK1GkA Journal of Adolescent Health, online October 11, 2019.

tags: drug use, drug abuse