Impact of cannabis abuse on the occurrence of stroke in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

 

They never say if this is smoked marijuana or gummies, so for me this research is incomplete.

But this for us older folks: 

Pot Smoking Baby Boomers Are On The Rise, Why Are Scientists So Happy For Them? Hint: Benefits For The Aging Brain

And this:

The Experiments Revealing How Marijuana Could Treat Dementia

The latest here:

Impact of cannabis abuse on the occurrence of stroke in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dongxue Liu^1†Liu Yang^1†Peiqi Liu²Yujiao Wang^3*‡Lan Gao^3*‡

• ¹The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
• ²Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
• ³Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China

Background: The occurrence of stroke in young people has risen significantly. This can easily lead to physical disabilities, swallowing difficulties, and cognitive impairment, among other issues, having a profound impact on families and society. Risk factors for stroke in young people differ from those for traditional stroke, with cannabis abuse emerging as a significant high-risk factor. However, the extent of the impact of cannabis abuse on the occurrence of stroke and the rate of disability in young people remains unclear. To clarify this issue and provide evidence supporting the primary prevention of stroke in young people, this systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes the latest findings from previous studies.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted until April 2023. The review included observational studies comparing stroke risk estimates between cannabis abusers and non-users.

Results: This review included six observational studies focusing on cannabis abuse, involving 119,284,152 participants. A significant association was found between cannabis abuse and an increased risk of stroke [OR = 1.14, 95% CI (1.08, 1.20)]. However, there was substantial heterogeneity among the studies (I² = 89%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders such as smoking and alcohol abuse, we found a stronger association between cannabis abuse and stroke in young adults [OR = 1.21, 95% CI (1.12, 1.29)]. Subgroup analyses revealed no significant difference in stroke risk between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes (p = 0.43).

Conclusion: The results of our systematic review and meta-analysis showed that cannabis abuse has a more significant effect on the occurrence of stroke in young people; however, it was not possible to distinguish whether cannabis abuse is more likely to cause ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Further research is needed to explore the impact of different drug types, dosages, and behaviors on stroke risk.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, Identifier CRD42023443261.

Background

Youth stroke is defined as a stroke that occurs in individuals younger than 50 years of age (1), accounting for 10–15% of all stroke patients (2). Globally, the young population is considered the “backbone” of society. However, illness within this group not only impose a significant social burden but also reduce their personal quality of life. When young people return to their families following a stroke, they may also experience a sense of shame due to the subsequent lack of self-care abilities, body image disturbances, and other challenges, which will further hinder post-traumatic recovery (3). Some studies have reported that the etiology and risk factors in young patients are more diverse compared to older stroke patients, with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking being definite risk factors (3). Low physical activity, hypertension, and smoking are considered high-risk factors, collectively accounting for 79% of stroke cases (4). Additionally, unknown risk factors (5), such as pregnancy, arterial entrapment, and illegal drug abuse, contribute to approximately 40% of cases (6). Strokes with no identifiable cause are classified as cryptogenic strokes, and younger patients have a higher incidence of this type, accounting for approximately 60% of cases (6). Therefore, identifying risk factors is key to preventing and reducing the incidence of stroke in young people.

Drug abuse refers to the non-medical use or overuse of drugs with dependence characteristics. The user’s dependence on such drugs and the compulsive pursuit of specific effects from these drugs leads to serious personal and public health issues as well as social problems (7, 8). The abuse of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, other opiates, and cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread, especially among young people in industrialized nations. It is estimated that heroin, cocaine, and other drugs can cause between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths annually. In addition to causing death, studies by Akasaki and Ohishi (7) have shown that drug abuse may be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as acute coronary syndromes, arrhythmias, and aortic coarctation. Furthermore, Esse et al. (9) showed that drug abuse, especially overuse of opium, may also contribute to the development of stroke, with a high rate of resulting disability. Drug abuse may be a potential risk factor for the development of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes in young people (10). However, some studies suggest that certain cases classified as illegal may, under specific circumstances, have protective effects on the body and could be used for the treatment of specific diseases after in-depth research and strict approval (11, 12). Therefore, the relationship between drug abuse and stroke risk remains unclear. In addition, it is not clear whether factors such as the type of drug abuse, duration of use, or frequency, are associated with the incidence of stroke and disability in younger oncology patients and other critically ill patients with a history of long-term use of analgesic and sedative drugs. Our study aimed to summarize the existing evidence regarding the impact of drug abuse on stroke occurrence in young people by conducting a systematic review with meta-analysis.

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