Cannabis Use Disorder Showed No Significant Link to Atrial Fibrillation in Young Men After Accounting for Confounders

After propensity matching 108,495 young men in each arm (CUD+ vs CUD-) and adjusting for covariates including other substance abuse, the association between cannabis use disorder and atrial fibrillation hospitalizations was non-significant (OR 1.27, 95% CI: 0.91-1.78, P=0.15). The CUD+ cohort had higher rates of anxiety and COPD but lower rates of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Propensity-matched analysis using weighted discharge records from the 2019 National Inpatient Sample, comparing AF-related hospitalizations in young men (18-44) with and without cannabis use disorder, excluding those with tobacco use disorder.

By excluding tobacco users, this study attempts to isolate cannabis's independent cardiovascular effects. While the trend toward higher AF odds (27%) did not reach significance, the pattern and the racial disparity in AF rates among cannabis users warrant further investigation.

Cannabis's cardiovascular effects remain debated. This study's null finding after excluding tobacco is important because many earlier studies finding cardiac associations may have been confounded by concurrent tobacco use.

Administrative database with ICD coding limitations. Cross-sectional design. Cannot determine cannabis dose, frequency, or method of use. Only examined men. Exclusion of tobacco users may bias toward a healthier cannabis-using population.