Written by Stephen Rheinberg
HealthDay reporter
Thursday, October 20, 2022 (HealthDay News) — A new study suggests that marijuana use increases the risk of developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (a-fib).
Researchers found that it is known that drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine and opioids can directly affect the heart and cause abnormal rhythms such as myofascial, but that weed can increase the risk by 35%.
“There is a common perception that cannabis may be healthy because it is natural,” said lead researcher Dr. Gregory Marcus, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “But as laws become more lenient in permitting the use of these substances, it is important to recognize the negative consequences that may significantly affect the lives of users.”
This study does not prove that drug use causes abnormalities, but users appear to be at greater risk.
“These data are compelling enough to suggest that cannabis users with atrial fibrillation should at least try smoking cessation to see if it actually has a beneficial effect on their arrhythmias,” Marcus said. “Once one has had an episode of atrial fibrillation, I find that patients are often particularly careful to identify anything they can do to avoid subsequent episodes.”
He said MS reduces quality of life and increases risks of stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, heart attack and dementia.
“We used to think a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation was just bad luck, but we now realize that this common and sometimes devastating disease can actually be prevented, largely through lifestyle interventions such as reducing alcohol consumption or enhancing physical fitness,” Marcus said. “Although many treatments are available, avoiding disease in the first place is always best.”
Use of methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and cannabis was associated with an increased risk of fibroids in the study, even after adjusting for multiple confirmed risk factors for disease.
Researchers found that methamphetamine increased the risk of developing fibroids by 86%. For cocaine, the risk was increased by 61%, and for opium it was 74%.
For the study, Marcus and colleagues collected data on more than 23 million people treated in California emergency rooms from 2005 through 2015.
Of the 1 million patients who did not previously have fibroids but who later developed it, nearly 133,000 used marijuana. nearly 99,000 used methamphetamine; Nearly 49,000 used cocaine, and 10,000 used opium.
Marcus said it is not known how marijuana increases the risk of hepatitis C infection.
“There are several candidates and they may cooperate in the work,” he said.
Inhaling combustible products is known to trigger an inflammatory response, Marcus said, and acute inflammation increases the risk of developing fibrosis. In addition, blood flows from the lungs directly to where the fiber begins – the pulmonary veins and the left atrium of the heart. As such, lung irritants such as pot smoke can aggravate areas of the heart that are particularly prone to arrhythmias.
Marcus noted that all of the drugs studied can have significant effects on the connection between the nervous system and the heart. “Rapid fluctuations occur with the use of these substances and can also lead to atrial fibrillation,” he said.
A-fib is an abnormal pumping rhythm caused by electrical disturbances in the heart’s upper chambers, the atria. In severe cases, clots can form in the atria and then rupture into the bloodstream, causing strokes. Hepatitis C-related strokes claim more than 150,000 Americans annually.
In addition, cocaine and methamphetamine can lead to sudden cardiac death due to disturbances in electrical signals and pumping in the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart. The researchers said there is no way, however, that fate causes the life-threatening arrhythmia.
Many factors can trigger viral hepatitis, said Dr. Lawrence Epstein, director of the electrophysiology system at Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, New York. Therefore, it is not easy to predict which will trigger a loop.
“I don’t think it’s like, ‘Oh my God, nobody should smoke marijuana because they would develop a fibrous anomaly,'” said Epstein, who was not part of the study. “Everyone is different. I have patients that I treat for atrial fibrillation, and we talk about triggers, and everyone is different.”
For some patients, coffee or chocolate may trigger a seizure, Epstein said, and for some, the triggering factor may be marijuana. He advised patients who are allergic to it to avoid it.
“My recommendation to patients is to know yourselves,” Epstein said. “Moderation is the key. If you find every time you get high you start to feel palpitations, that probably doesn’t work for you. If you don’t have issues with that, I’m not sure that puts you at increased risk.”
With the other drugs discussed in the study, the risk is known, Epstein said.
“It’s not just about the risk of heart disease, but also the risk of other bad things happening, which can give you a severe heart attack or cardiac arrest,” he concluded.
The results were published on October 18 in European Heart Journal.
more information
Learn more about atrial fibrillation from the American Heart Association.
SOURCES: Gregory Marcus, MD, professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco; Lawrence Epstein, MD, system director, electrophysiology, Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, Manhasset, NY; European Heart JournalOctober 18, 2022
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