Heart rhythm problems are rising among teens hospitalized with cannabis use disorder | Research

The takeaway

Cardiac arrhythmias among teen CUD hospitalizations increased sixfold from 2003 to 2016, and co-occurring arrhythmia was linked to much higher mortality.

Parents, pediatric cardiologists, emergency physicians, and adolescent medicine providers.

7.4% mortality when arrhythmia co-occurred with CUD vs. 0.1% without

What the researchers found

Among 876,431 CUD-related teen hospitalizations, 0.5% involved cardiac arrhythmias. When arrhythmia co-occurred with CUD, mortality was 7.4% vs. 0.1% without arrhythmia, and hospitalization charges were nearly three times higher.

Why it matters

While cardiac arrhythmias remain relatively rare among teens with CUD, the sixfold increase in prevalence over the study period and the dramatically worse outcomes when arrhythmia co-occurs with CUD suggest a growing clinical concern.

The numbers in context

Total CUD hospitalizations: 876,431. Arrhythmia prevalence: 0.5%. Mortality with arrhythmia: 7.4% vs. 0.1%. Hospitalization charges with arrhythmia: $45,959 vs. $18,986. Sixfold increase in arrhythmia prevalence over 13 years.

How the study worked

Retrospective analysis of a national US administrative database (2003-2016) examining cardiac arrhythmia prevalence among hospitalized teens aged 13-20 with cannabis use disorder. Used partial least square regression for trend analysis and multiple logistic regression for predictors.

What this study cannot tell us

Administrative database study reliant on billing codes, which may under-capture arrhythmia diagnoses. Cannot establish causation between CUD and arrhythmia. No data on cannabis potency, route of use, or frequency.

How to read the evidence

Large national database provides robust trend data, but administrative coding limits diagnostic precision.

When this study was published

Published in 2021 using US data from 2003-2016.

The bigger picture

As cannabis use among adolescents becomes more common, understanding cardiovascular risks becomes increasingly important for emergency and hospital settings.

Questions still open

Does cannabis directly trigger arrhythmias in teens, or are underlying cardiac conditions being unmasked? How does cannabis potency affect cardiac risk in young users?

Common questions

How common are heart rhythm problems among teens with cannabis use disorder?

In this study, about 0.5% of CUD-related teen hospitalizations involved cardiac arrhythmias, but that rate increased sixfold over the 13-year study period.

What made arrhythmia with CUD particularly dangerous?

When arrhythmia co-occurred with CUD in teens, mortality jumped to 7.4% compared to 0.1% without arrhythmia, and hospitalization costs nearly tripled.

Read the original research

Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in cannabis use disorder related hospitalizations in teenagers from 2003 to 2016 in the United States.

Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 23(8), 1302-1309

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Umapathi, Krishna Kishore; Thavamani, Aravind; Dhanpalreddy, Harshitha; Nguyen, Hoang H. (2021). Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in cannabis use disorder related hospitalizations in teenagers from 2003 to 2016 in the United States.. Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 23(8), 1302-1309. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euab033