Marijuana And Stroke: Researchers Study Ischemic Stroke Risk Among Users

Strokes in marijuana users are more likely to be caused stenosis--otherwise known as narrowing of the arteries--than non-users. The findings are detailed in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The study results showed that ischemic stroke was more likely to be caused by intracranial arterial stenosis, a condition where there is narrowing the arteries inside the skull caused by a buildup of plaque. Intracranial arterial stenosis was found in 45 percent of the marijuana users in the study compared to 14 percent of the non-users.

During the study, researchers at the University Hospital of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France, examined patients who were admitted with ischemic stroke from 2005 to 2014. All of the participants were under 45. The patients in the study were also younger, more likely to be male and more likely to smoke tobacco, along with other lifestyle risk factors.

Based on this, they created a cohort of 334 patients, including 58 who were marijuana users.
Cardio embolism, a blood clot formed elsewhere in the body that moves to the brain, was most common cause of ischemic stroke in non-marijuana users in the study. Investigators found 29 percent of strokes in non-users were caused by cardio embolism compared to only 14 percent in the marijuana users.

"Fighting stroke must remain a priority, including in young adults," said lead study author Valerie Wolff, M.D., PhD, in a news release. "The first step may be to inform the public regarding the potential occurrence of stroke associated with cannabis and other lifestyle risk factors."

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