A study reveals that regular marijuana use may increase the risk of potentially fatal irregular heartbeats.
Cannabis users were 35% more likely than non-users to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation within a decade.
The culprit, according to researchers, is the hazardous results of inhaling toxic smoke.
The disorder is the most prevalent form of treatable cardiac arrhythmia that can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related issues.
At least 2.7 million Americans have an irregular heartbeat; yet, the condition is frequently misdiagnosed because many people do not exhibit symptoms.
The most recent study, which contained information from 23 million patients, also examined the likelihood of heart arrhythmias among other drug users.
Cocaine users were 61% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than non-users.
Opiate users, which can include heroin and prescription medications, were 74% more likely to suffer a severe arrhythmia.
The European Heart Journal released the findings written by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.
They write: “Despite displaying a smaller connection with incident AF than the other substances, cannabis usage revealed an association of similar or greater size to risk variables such as dyslipidemia, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.”
‘Furthermore, individuals who used cannabis had a comparable relative risk of incident AF to those who smoked regular cigarettes,’ scientists said.
In situations of atrial fibrillation, the upper heart chambers, or atria, beat erratically and out of sync with the lower heart chambers, or ventricles.
In California between 2005 and 2015, researchers reviewed data from every hospital admission, outpatient surgery facility visit, and emergency department visit for a total of 23 million patients.
A small percentage of research participants used drugs: 132,834 patients used cannabis, 98,271 patients used methamphetamine, 48,700 patients used cocaine, and 10,032 patients used opiates.
Marijuana is the third most commonly used substance in the United States, after alcohol and tobacco, and its usage is increasing as more states recognize its therapeutic and medicinal benefits.
More than 48 million Americans, or 18% of the population, try marijuana annually. Within a decade, approximately nine percent of first-time cannabis users become dependent on the drug.
In the meantime, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in 19 states, with others such as North Dakota considering legalization proposals in this year’s midterm elections.
The purpose of the UCSF study was not to examine the components of marijuana or other drug use that may lead to atrial fibrillation. However, the researchers hypothesize that inhaled particles are a potential contributor.
It’s also intriguing to note that inhaled drugs pass directly from the lungs to the pulmonary veins, which empty into the left atrium, and that the pulmonary veins and the left atrium play a significant role in creating atrial fibrillation (AF).
Seniors are often at the highest risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine have a stronger association with cardiovascular disease because they stimulate the heart to beat faster and with greater force, resulting in dangerously high blood pressure.
Chronic lung problems and cognitive impairment have been identified as long-term dangers of marijuana use, particularly among adolescents whose brains are still developing.
A significant study conducted in New Zealand in 2012 indicated that consistent marijuana use beginning in youth was connected with a loss of 6 to 8 IQ points in mid-adulthood.
Many people ingest marijuana with the belief that it will increase their creativity, even though the data supporting this claim is questionable.
Researchers from the University of Washington recently published a study in which 400 individuals took a creativity test either 15 minutes or 12 hours after smoking the drug.
The researchers concluded that there was no significant difference in creativity between the high and sober groups, which prompted them to speculate that being high distorts users’ sense of their creativity.
