RETRACTED: Effect of marijuana use on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality: A study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey linked mortality file

Abstract

Background Reports associate marijuana use with cardiovascular emergencies. Studies relating marijuana use to cardiovascular mortality are scarce. Recent advance towards marijuana use legalization emphasizes the importance of understanding relationships between marijuana use and cardiovascular deaths; the primary ranked mortality. Recreational marijuana is primarily smoked; we hypothesize that like cigarette smoking, marijuana use will be associated with increased cardiovascular mortalities. Design The design of this study was based on a mortality follow-up. Method We linked participants aged 20 years and above, who responded to questions on marijuana use during the 2005 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to data from the 2011 public-use linked mortality file of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only participants eligible for mortality follow-up were included. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression analyses to estimate hazard ratios for hypertension, heart disease, and cerebrovascular mortality due to marijuana use. We controlled for cigarette smoking and other relevant variables. Results Of the 1213 eligible participants 72.5% were presumed to be alive. The total follow-up time was 19,569 person-years. Adjusted hazard ratios for death from hypertension among marijuana users compared to non-marijuana users was 3.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.20-9.79) and for each year of marijuana use was 1.04 (95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.07). Conclusion From our results, marijuana use may increase the risk for hypertension mortality. Increased duration of marijuana use is associated with increased risk of death from hypertension. Recreational marijuana use potentially has cardiovascular adverse effects which needs further investigation.

Primary Causes of Hospitalizations and Procedures, Predictors of In-hospital Mortality, and Trends in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events Among Recreational Marijuana Users: A Five-year Nationwide Inpatient Assessment in the United States

“…THC acts primarily on the endocannabinoid system (cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, which are distributed in the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and peripheral tissues), which regulates cardiovascular function and exerts sympathetic stimulation. Delineated cardiovascular effects of THC are increased heart rate, increased supine blood pressure, orthostatic hypotension, increased cardiac output, reductions in left ventricular ejection time, and increases in venous carboxyhemoglobin levels, which may produce morbid cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes [ 22 ].…”

Cannabis abuse and dependence in kidney transplant candidates

“…Emerging studies show several potential medical consequences with cannabis smoking. These include an increased risk of hypertension in chronic users and an increased risk of death commensurate with length of use (12). A retrospective study of outcomes in a large cohort of kidney recipients found an association between post-transplant cannabis abuse and dependence within the first year after transplant and alcohol abuse, other drug abuse, noncompliance, schizophrenia, and depression (1).…”

Associations Between Cannabis Use and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Longitudinal Study of Men

“…The implications of cannabis legalization for public health are largely unknown, spurring keen interest in research on the acute and longer-term effects of cannabis on health. Despite some research suggesting that cannabis acutely increases risk of myocardial infarction and stroke (1)(2)(3)(4)(5), the longer-term (i.e., non-acute) associations between cannabis use and cardiovascular risk are unclear (6)(7)(8). A key question is whether cannabis use, like tobacco use, is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors that underlie the development of cardiovascular diseases (9).…”