Cannabis Use Is Associated with Delayed Cerebral Ischemia Af… : Neurology Today

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A retrospective, single-center examine recognized an affiliation between hashish use and cerebral ischemia in sufferers who’ve skilled a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Whereas the pathophysiology of this affiliation remains to be unknown, researchers agree that extra research are warranted as the recognition of hashish will increase within the US.

Hashish use seems to be related to cerebral ischemia in sufferers who’ve skilled a subarachnoid hemorrhage, in accordance with a analysis letter revealed on-line on January 5 in Stroke.

The letter reported the findings of a retrospective single-site examine of greater than 1,000 sufferers hospitalized for ruptured aneurysm.

“This examine recognized a big relationship between hashish use and the event of strokes after aneurysm rupture,” mentioned lead creator Michael Lawton, MD, president and CEO of Barrow Neurological Institute and the chair of the division of neurosurgery. “It is without doubt one of the first, and the most important examine to report this discovering.”

The discovering confirms an earlier, smaller examine revealed in Stroke in 2016 by Reza Behrouz, MD, and colleagues that additionally discovered an affiliation between delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after subarachnoid aneurysm amongst hashish customers.

Within the new Stroke report, the authors reviewed information for all sufferers who underwent endovascular or microsurgical therapy at Barrow Neurological Institute for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) from August 1, 2007, to July 31, 2019.

The first publicity of curiosity was hashish use. All sufferers underwent urine toxicology screening for the key metabolite of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid, which signifies publicity inside three days after a single use to roughly 30 days for continual, heavy customers. All sufferers have been additionally screened for different vasoactive substances (cocaine, amphetamines, tobacco), which have been adjusted for within the statistical evaluation.

The first outcomes that have been analyzed included delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), poor useful final result as outlined by a rating of two or larger on the modified Rankin Scale, and mortality.

Throughout the 12-year examine interval, 1,014 sufferers have been hospitalized and handled for aSAH; 419 of them obtained an endovascular intervention and 595 have been handled with microsurgery. The common age was 55.6 years; 703 (69.3 p.c) of the 1,014 sufferers have been feminine.

Forty-six sufferers (4.5 p.c) have been constructive for hashish publicity as decided by a urine toxicology report. The speed of DCI, poor useful final result, and mortality among the many 1,014 sufferers was 36.2 p.c (n=367), 50.2 p.c (n=509), and 13.5 p.c (n=137), respectively.

The speed of DCI was considerably increased in sufferers with a urine drug display screen constructive for hashish (52.2 p.c versus 35.4 p.c for these with no publicity). Cocaine, methamphetamine, and tobacco use weren’t related to DCI. Nonetheless, Hunt and Hess and Fisher grades, each well-known predictors of DCI, have been considerably related to DCI.

In a statistical evaluation controlling to be used of different substances, sufferers uncovered to hashish had a 2.7 instances larger chance of DCI than those that weren’t uncovered. In separate analyses of secondary outcomes, DCI was independently related to poor useful outcomes and with mortality.

The pathophysiology of this affiliation is unknown, however Dr. Lawton and colleagues mentioned analysis means that multifocal intracranial stenosis, oxidative stress, and cerebral mitochondrial dysfunction are contributors. “The precise mechanism by which THC will increase vulnerability to stroke might contain the mitochondrial respiratory capabilities, reactive oxygen species, and free radical metabolism,” he informed Neurology At present. “THC might enhance the quantities of those doubtlessly dangerous brokers. As well as, THC might have a direct motion on the arteries that stimulates vasospasm. These mechanisms warrant additional analysis.”

The Stroke report discovered the next charge of angiographic spasm in hashish customers—88.9 p.c amongst customers in contrast with 70.5 p.c in nonusers—which helps vasospasm as a possible cause for elevated DCI. “Nonetheless, we can’t exclude the likelihood that hashish customers have a decrease threshold for DCI,” Dr. Lawton and colleagues wrote.

Dr. Lawton mentioned the take-home message for neurologists is that there’s a doubling of the danger of stroke after aneurysm rupture for sufferers utilizing hashish. “We now have recognized a beforehand unrecognized hazard related to hashish use that customers ought to think about when deciding whether or not to proceed.”

Skilled Commentary

Specialists who reviewed the report for Neurology At present mentioned the examine is a crucial contribution to understanding the potential dangers related to a substance that has grown more and more common. The leisure use of hashish is legalized in 18 states and the District of Columbia; one other 13 states have decriminalized its use.

“This is a superb examine addressing an necessary and related scientific query,” mentioned Manoj Okay. Mittal, MD, medical director of stroke and neurocritical care at Sutter Medical Middle in Sacramento, CA. “The affected person stage information and inclusion of widespread predictors of DCI in aSAH sufferers is a energy. Weaknesses are the retrospective nature of the examine, small pattern dimension of hashish customers within the examine, lack of information in regards to the timing/dose of hashish used previous to admission, and impact of different unknown and non-measured confounders.”

He mentioned clinicians needs to be alerted to the danger of delayed cerebral ischemia in aneurysmal SAH sufferers admitted to a tertiary care middle. “Hashish use is widespread in society with quite a lot of states approving it for leisure use,” Dr. Mittal informed Neurology At present. “Individuals consider that hashish use has no hostile impact on our well being. We should always inform our sufferers that hashish use is related to increased chance of admission with subarachnoid hemorrhage and in addition with increased probability of mind ischemia after SAH.”

John W. Cole, MD, MS, affiliate professor of neurology on the Maryland Stroke Middle, Baltimore VA Medical Middle, and College of Maryland Faculty of Drugs, agreed the examine helps the danger of stroke in a subset of hashish customers who’ve had cerebral aneurysm.

Dr. Cole was senior creator of a report in October 2021 in Stroke that confirmed no important affiliation with stroke amongst marijuana customers. After adjusting for different danger elements, together with the quantity of present tobacco smoking, Dr. Cole and colleagues discovered that marijuana use was not related to ischemic stroke, whatever the timing of use in relationship to the stroke, together with ever use, use inside 30 days, and use inside 24 hours. There was a nonsignificant development in direction of elevated stroke danger amongst those that smoked marijuana not less than as soon as every week.

Dr. Cole emphasised the small pattern dimension of hashish customers among the many sufferers with aSAH as a weak point of the brand new examine. He additionally cited the dearth of a measured dose-response relationship. He mentioned unmeasured confounders, together with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, may contribute to the danger for stroke amongst hashish customers. “It reveals there may be an elevated danger of stroke related to hashish on this group of sufferers with aneurysm, however I think there could also be underlying elements that enhance the danger for sure people.”

Disclosures

Drs. Lawton, Mittal, and Cole had no disclosures.