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Sunday is 420 days when marijuana lovers gather to celebrate their attachment to weeds. However, studies show that regular marijuana users are at risk of serious conditions, including strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure and myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle.
An increased risk of dementia can now be added to the list, according to a major study of more than 6 million people, published on April 14 in Jama Neurology.
“Someone who has a visit to the emergency room or hospitalization due to cannabis has a 23% increased risk of dementia within five years than someone who was in the hospital for another reason. They have a 72% greater risk than the general population,” said the university of the university.
“These numbers have already made other causes of dementia, such as age, gender, mental health or use of substances and whether you have chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease,” Miran said.
More studies show that marijuana users are almost 25% more likely to need emergency care and hospitalization than not -users.
“However, this is not a study that someone has to look and say,” Judge, but cannabis use causes dementia, “Mira said. “This is a study that creates an association that fits into a growing set of research.”
Regular use of marijuana can make people develop other risk factors for dementia. – Rawpixel/Istockphoto/Getty Images
Red flag
The study is a red flag for healthcare professionals who need to be screening for cannabis use, said Dr. Robert II, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Physical Medicine at the University of Colorado Skags the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Aurora.
“People with cannabis use is not able to stop using, although they encounter health or social problems,” said Page, who chaired the medical writing group for the scientific statement of the American Cardiac Association for 2020 about marijuana.
“When they stop using it, they either have symptoms of withdrawal or have very bad symptoms of mental health,” he added. “They may have a rather severe depression or may be concerned, all of which can send them to the hospital.”
The potential of weeds has grown over the years, which can increase health risks and lead to a global rise in marijuana addiction, as well as a disorder of cannabis use, according to a 2022 study.
Marijuana addiction can happen with about 30% of people who use cannabis, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disorder also comes with a higher risk of attention, memory and training problems, CDC finds.
“The other taking from this study is that many people think that marijuana is natural and therefore safe,” Paige said. “This is a psychotropic medicine, so there will be psychotropic effects. If you have major psychiatric problems, realize that you should be transparent to your provider and let them know if you use this medical or entertainment.”
The degree of screening of the hospital is growing
Researchers examined the medical records between 2008 and 2021 for more than 6 million people between the ages of 45 and 105 without dementia, living in Ontario. Of these, over 16,000 were observed due to negative marijuana responses.
“Within five years after visiting the emergency room or hospitalization of cannabis, 5% of people are diagnosed with dementia, and within 10 years 19% of people are diagnosed with dementia,” Mira said.
The degree of visits to the emergency room due to marijuana increases five times in adults between the ages of 45 and 64 and nearly 27 times for people 65 years and more in those 13 years, according to the study.
“While this study was done in Canada, it should be applied throughout North America, including the United States,” he added, pointing to a survey of 2024 showing daily or near the daily use of marijuana by 2022.
If the connection between the use of cannabis and dementia is causing and effect, how can only the cognitive decline in marijuana cause a cognitive decline for regular users? One of the options is the daily or close to the daily use of marijuana changes neural connectivity in the brain, Mira said.
“There is certainly a path that has potential inflammation and micro -vascular damage from marijuana,” he said. “It is possible to use cannabis regularly to cause other risk factors for dementia, such as depression, social isolation and less education. And it may be that people who regularly use cannabis are more likely to have a major brain injury, such as a collision of motor vehicles.”
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