Young cannabis users at increased risk of repeat stroke
According to a new study, young people with a history of stroke or TIA who regularly use cannabis are 50% more likely to experience a repeat stroke.
The adverse effect of cannabis use on health is well recognized, particularly in the young. It has associations with mental disorders, mood symptoms, and long-term psychotic illness.
Cannabis use disorder
CUD is “a relatively new diagnosis […] more of a physical and psychological dependence upon cannabis,” said Dr. Robert L Page II, professor in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacy and Physical Medicine at the University of Colorado in Aurora.
“[It] is different from recreation […] these individuals are using it on a regular basis, in a chronic fashion.”
The American Psychiatric Association classifies CUD as:
- taking large amounts over a long time
- wanting to control or cut down its use
- spending lots of time trying to get the drug or recover from using it
- failing to fulfill work or school tasks
- withdrawing from social, occupational, or recreational activities
Studies Trusted Sourcehave shown that cannabis use in younger individuals is a risk factor for first-time stroke or transient ischemic attack(TIA)Trusted Source, also known as a mini-stroke.
However, scientists have not established the risk of subsequent strokes and TIAs in people who use cannabis until now.
Increased stroke in the young
A stroke or TIA occurs when the blood supply to the brain is reduced or cut off. It is a life threatening medical emergency that needs immediate hospital treatment.
In recent years, the number of strokes has reduced in the U.S. However, rates have increased in young adults ages 18–45 years, accounting for 10-15% of strokes in the U.S.
A recent study led by researchers at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA, has shown young adults with a history of stroke or TIA and CUD have a 50% increased risk of recurrent stroke compared with those without CUD.
Speaking with Medical News Today, the lead author of the study Dr. Akhil Jain, explained:
“Since marijuana use is more common among younger people and is now legal in various U.S. states, we felt it was crucial to study the risk of re-stroke […] especially with the established first-time stroke risk in cannabis users. We used recreational dependent or chronic/habitual cannabis use for our study, i.e., cannabis use disorder.”