Young people who frequently use marijuana is more likely be at risk with heart problems, this is according to the study presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia. Another study presented evidence that frequent users of cannabis are at a higher risk with stroke.

In an article from CNN Health News, the first study presented in AHA showed that young people who regularly use weed is 47 percent to 52 percent hospitalized due to arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmia is a heart problem that occurs when the electrical impulses do not work normally. The heart of a person might be too slow, too fast, or having irregular heartbeats. This heart problem can lead to stroke or the worst, death. 

The researchers or scientists based the data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient health care data base that gives national estimates of reasons of hospital stays in U.S. The data shows that 2.6 percent who are hospitalized due to a heart problem or arrhythmia are cannabis users.

These patients age 15 to 24, male and black. On the other hand hand, weed users age 15 to 24 years old are 1.28 times higher and most likely hospitalized and diagnosed with arrythmia while users age 15 to 34 years old are 1.52 times more at risk with this heart problems. 

According to the resident physician of the department of psychiatry at the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma Dr. Rikinkumar S. Patel said in a conference that the effect of cannabis vary base on dose. If the dose is low it could be seen in 15 minutes and lasts until three hours with a rapid heartbeat, while higher dose is link with slow heartbeat.

Patel added that the risk of cannabis linked to arrhythmia among young people is a major concern and physicians handling patients diagnosed with this heart problem must ask their patients if they use cannabis and how often do they use the weed because it would trigger their condition. 

Live science also published the same study in their website. According to their article, researchers found out that people who use marijuana for more than 10 days in a month but are not using e-cigarette or tobacco are 2.5 more likely to have a stroke. While frequent marijuana users and at the same time are using e-cigarette or tobacco are more three times more likely to have a stroke.

It can be recalled in the previous report in Latin Post, that there is an increase of vape-related death cases due to its Vitamin E acitate and THC compound that are present in marijuana.

Meanwhile, the researchers noted that the there are other substance than can cause stroke such as alcohol and the findings they show in AHA is only an association of marijuana leading to stroke but this is not yet definite and absolute. 

In the previous Live Science report that even if there is an association between marijuana use and stroke, still they cannot provide what compunds in marijuana that leads to stroke. However, marijuana use has been linked to an increase number of blood clots and in turn leading to stroke. A health policy researcher at George Mason University Dr. Tarang Parekh said that marijuana use might also trigger reversible cerebral vasoconstriction or a temporary narrowing of blood vessels in the brain that has been clinically linked to stroke. 

The studies presented will be published in the upcoming issue of the Stroke Journal, one of the the first to specifically focus on the risk of cannabis use among the youth. Meantime, there will be another studies to be presented next week in another AHA Session.

Read more: Using weed regularly raises the risk of heart problems for young people, studies find, Heavy Marijuana Use Could Double Stroke Risk for Young People, Study Suggests and Vape-Related Deaths in the U.S. Continues to Rise