Growing Number of Adults with Cannabis Use Disorder Hospitalized for Heart Attack

An increasing number of people under 50 with cannabis use disorder are being hospitalized for a heart attack, according to a new study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

Researchers found this trend was greatest among three groups: those ages 18 to 34, men and African Americans, HealthDay reports. The study found that overall, 4.1% of patients hospitalized for a heart attack also had cannabis use disorder. The proportion almost tripled from 2.4% in 2007 to 6.7% in 2018.

The findings suggest people who use cannabis should be followed more closely for possible heart problems, the researchers said.

“If we have more (heart attack) patients coming in because of cannabis use disorder, if there is a temporal relationship, it is definitely going to put a huge stress on health care resources in general,” said lead researcher Darshi Desai of the University of California, Riverside.