Heart rhythm problems are rising among teens hospitalized with cannabis use disorder
Cardiac arrhythmias among teen CUD hospitalizations increased sixfold from 2003 to 2016, and co-occurring arrhythmia was linked to much higher mortality.
Quick Facts
What This Study 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.
Key Numbers
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 They Did This
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.
Why This Research 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 Bigger Picture
As cannabis use among adolescents becomes more common, understanding cardiovascular risks becomes increasingly important for emergency and hospital settings.
What This Study Doesn't 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.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does cannabis directly trigger arrhythmias in teens, or are underlying cardiac conditions being unmasked?
- ?How does cannabis potency affect cardiac risk in young users?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 7.4% mortality when arrhythmia co-occurred with CUD vs. 0.1% without
- Evidence Grade:
- Large national database provides robust trend data, but administrative coding limits diagnostic precision.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2021 using US data from 2003-2016.
- Original Title:
- Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in cannabis use disorder related hospitalizations in teenagers from 2003 to 2016 in the United States.
- Published In:
- 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 (2021)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03586
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked 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.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03586APA
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
MLA
Umapathi, Krishna Kishore, et al. "Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in cannabis use disorder related hospitalizations in teenagers from 2003 to 2016 in the United States.." Europace : European pacing, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euab033
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in cannabis use disorder r..." RTHC-03586. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/umapathi-2021-prevalence-of-cardiac-arrhythmias
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.