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Vizcaya, Spain (pte014/21.02.2005/10:30) - Young cannabis users could be at an increased risk of having a stroke, a recent Spanish study suggests. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, Spanish researchers detailed the case of a 36-year-old patient, with no known risk factors for stroke, who had three following cannabis use. The paper, which was published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, said the risk may have been underestimated. According to the Spanish researchers, it is possible that up to 15 other cases of stroke may be linked to cannabis use. They have called for further research to establish the actual extent of the risk. Up to now, frequent cannabis use has been linked to behavioural abnormalities and an increased risk of schizophrenia.
The patient studied was a primary school teacher, who had been an occasional user of cannabis. He had no known risk factors for stroke, did not use drugs, and drank only occasionally. The first incident occurred after he had smoked a considerable amount of cannabis combined with three or four drinks at a party. He lost his ability to speak, which was followed a few hours later by convulsions. A brain scan revealed one patch of bleeding and another blood clot, but no evidence of narrowed/furred up arteries. He was treated and recovered. A year later following another bout of cannabis smoking, he lost his ability to speak again and experienced weakness on one side of his body. A brain scan revealed a further small patch of bleeding as well as another blood clot, but in different areas from before. After the second stroke, the man did not use cannabis for 18 months. However, he then smoked a "reasonable amount" in one go, which he combined with three or four drinks. This was followed by an inability to recognise sounds, a condition known as auditory agnosia. A further brain scan revealed a patch of bleeding as well as the damage left by the previous bleeds.
According to the researchers, who were led by Juan Garcia-Monco, at the Galdacano Hospital, in Galdacano, Vizcaya, the cardiovascular effects of cannabis - including a rapid heart beat and excessively high or low blood pressure - were often overlooked. They said cannabis also quadrupled the risk of a heart attack within an hour of consumption. "Cannabis us not as safe a drug as many believe," wrote Garcia-Monco and his team. "Future studies will be needed to clarify the role of cannabis as a stroke risk factor, as it could be underestimated. If this was the case, cereberovascular risk may increase in the future, due to an increased consumption based on the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis and its possible legislation in some countries," he added.
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