Daily marijuana use was associated with a 34% increased risk for heart failure within 4 years compared with nonuse, in new observational research.
In a separate study, cannabis use disorder (CUD) was linked with a 20% increased risk for major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCEs) during hospitalization in older patients with cardiovascular risk who were tobacco nonsmokers.
The studies will be presented on November 13 at the upcoming American Heart Association (AHA) 2023 Scientific Sessions.
These were observational data, so they can show only association and not causation, the researchers stress, but they build on other recent findings.
Despite the study limitations, "Is this a signal? Absolutely," said Robert L. Page II, PharmD, MSPH, in an interview with theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
Page is a professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado and chaired the writing group for the 2020 AHA Scientific Statement: Medical Marijuana, Recreational Cannabis, and Cardiovascular Health. He was not involved in either of the current studies.
Marijuana Use and Risk for Heart Failure
Marijuana use in the United States has increased exponentially with increasing state-level legalization, but its effect on cardiovascular health is unclear, Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, MD, MPH, and colleagues write.
In their study, the researchers assessed the association between marijuana use and risk for incident heart failure compared with the risk in nonuse on the basis of survey data and medical records from participants in the National Institutes of Health–sponsored All of Us research program.
