Marijuana-induced myocarditis in a 24-year-old man

Abstract

As marijuana, the most widely-used illicit drug in adolescents and adults, has some unknown side effects, marijuana abuse has become a public health concern. Also, marijuana affects different organs such as heart in its rate, rhythm and coronary flow; it eventually leads to events such as myocardial infarction and rarely myocarditis. A 24-year-old man without any medical history or cardiovascular risk factors presented with chest pain after marijuana consumption. Based on electrocardiogram, myocardial cytolysis and transthoracic echocardiography acute myocarditis diagnosis was established. A few days later, transthoracic echocardiography showed a small clot in apex with reduced left ventricle ejection fraction, in the absence of local akinesia. The patient was discharged with oral anticoagulant stable and without any symptoms. The myocarditis after marijuana abuse is rare. The physicians should include acute myocarditis in differential diagnosis of a patient with chest pain after using marijuana.

Variant Angina and Cannabis-Induced Myocarditis: A Rare Presentation of Myocardial Inflammation

“…However, it does not provide specific echocardiographic findings for the diagnosis of myocarditis [ 10 ]. Cardiac MRI is the primary noninvasive imaging modality for diagnosing and evaluating myocarditis, providing evidence of myocardial inflammation, assessing fibrosis, and detecting pericardial involvement [ 11 ]. Marijuana affects the cardiovascular system by causing abnormalities in heart rate and rhythm, changes in blood pressure, vasospasm, and altered coronary blood flow [ 11 ].…”

“…Acute myocarditis generally carries a favorable prognosis [ 9 , 10 ]. The association between marijuana use and myocarditis, while rare and poorly understood, has important implications due to widespread cannabis consumption [ 11 , 12 ].…”