21-year-old had four heart attacks linked to cannabis use | Research

The takeaway

A 21-year-old with no cardiovascular risk factors suffered four heart attacks over 18 months, each preceded by cannabis use, and became symptom-free after stopping.

Cardiologists, emergency physicians, and young cannabis users.

4 heart attacks in 18 months; zero after cannabis cessation

What the researchers found

A 21-year-old man with no cardiovascular risk factors experienced four acute coronary syndrome events over 18 months, each involving thrombotic coronary artery occlusion requiring intervention. Each event was preceded by cannabis consumption. Despite dual antiplatelet therapy, events recurred while he continued using cannabis. After cessation, he remained symptom-free for 8 months.

Why it matters

While cannabis-related heart attacks in young adults are rare, this case is striking because of the recurrence pattern: four events directly linked to continued cannabis use, with resolution after stopping.

The numbers in context

21-year-old male; 4 ACS events in 18 months; no cardiovascular risk factors; symptom-free 8 months after cannabis cessation.

How the study worked

Single case report with detailed clinical documentation of four ACS events including coronary angiography, treatment records, and 8-month follow-up after cannabis cessation.

What this study cannot tell us

Single case report cannot prove causation; no toxicology confirmation of cannabis as sole substance; temporal association does not exclude other triggers; extremely rare presentation.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: single case report; cannot establish causation despite compelling temporal pattern.

When this study was published

Published 2020.

The bigger picture

This case adds to a small but growing literature linking cannabis to acute coronary events in young adults, likely through coronary vasospasm or prothrombotic effects. It suggests that for rare susceptible individuals, cannabis may pose serious cardiovascular risk.

Questions still open

What makes certain young individuals susceptible to cannabis-induced coronary events? Is there a genetic predisposition that could be identified?

Common questions

Can cannabis cause a heart attack?

This case report documents a pattern consistent with cannabis-triggered coronary events in a young man with no other risk factors. However, case reports cannot prove causation, and such events appear to be very rare.

Did stopping cannabis prevent further heart attacks?

Yes. After the patient stopped using cannabis, he was symptom-free for 8 months with no further events, despite having had 4 events in 18 months while using.

Read the original research

Cannabis-induced recurrent myocardial infarction in a 21-year-old man: a case report.

European heart journal. Case reports, 4(3), 1-5

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Lawin, Dennis; Lawrenz, Thorsten; Tego, Andi; Stellbrink, Christoph. (2020). Cannabis-induced recurrent myocardial infarction in a 21-year-old man: a case report.. European heart journal. Case reports, 4(3), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjcr/ytaa063