[ad_1]
It is safe to say that the dangers of cannabis have long been overexpressed by moral crusaders and the anti-drug team. But a new case study suggests that under the right circumstances, the pot can actually cause serious health problems. According to the new document, a 70-year-old Canadian with pre-existing cardiovascular disease had a heart attack shortly after being offered a THC lollipop.
The study was published this month in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. He describes a 70-year-old man with coronary artery disease, a disease characterized by plaque buildup in the arteries that reduces blood flow to the heart. At the time, the man had been relatively stable for two years and was taking medication to manage his condition.
Within 30 minutes of consuming a "marijuana lollipop" that he hoped would help him fall asleep, the man began to sweat a lot, turn white like a ghost, and suffer from pain. a chest pain. He was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with a heart attack. But although he was successfully treated, he did not escape unhurt: his cardiac function subsequently deteriorated, as well as his ability to exercise and perform daily activities.
"Marijuana can be a helpful tool for many patients, especially for relieving pain and nausea. At the same time, like all other medications, there are risks and side effects, "Alexandra Saunders, author of cardiology and chief resident of Dalhousie University's Internal Medicine Program, said in a statement. Brunswick.
According to his doctors, the man's heart attack was somehow a perfect storm.
On the one hand, while he had eaten potty in his youth, the lollipop was the first cannabis product that he had taken for a long time. This is relevant because many products now contain much more THC (the main ingredient responsible for the high psychoactive concentration of the drug) than it was decades ago. Man's lack of experience with the delayed effects of an edible food has also led him to consume almost everything, giving him a much higher dose of THC than people are currently taking. And that higher dose, coupled with his lack of tolerance, made him suffer from frightening hallucinations that made him incredibly anxious. The anxiety then sent his already fragile cardiovascular system into a state of overload, possibly causing a heart attack.
In addition to its anxiogenic effects, cannabis is known to directly affect the cardiovascular system, including accelerating the heart rate for a few hours. However, the link between cannabis use and the risk of heart problems has only rarely been studied, with no clear conclusion. Two years ago, however, doctors published a controversial case study regarding an 11-month-old boy who died of heart disease after ingesting cannabis. The case has been touted as the first ever fatal cannabis overdose. But the doctors quickly clarified their findings, saying they had found only one link that deserved further study, without definitively showing that the pot could kill (indirectly, however, the growing popularity of the drug probably resulted a slight but real increase in the number of fatal accidents.).
This is about the same as the researchers behind this latest case study.
"The result of this case is important with the new legalization of marijuana. Hopefully the use of marijuana is no longer criminalized, new research on cardiovascular side effects will emerge, "they wrote.
While the United States has slowly made progress in legalizing cannabis, state by state, Canada fully legalized cannabis for recreational purposes last year.
[Canadian Journal of Cardiology via Elsevier]Source link
