<\/strong><\/strong>Findings seen for people with chronic pain; no association seen for acute coronary syndrome or heart failure<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — People with chronic pain who use medical cannabis have a higher risk for heart rhythm disorders versus nonusers, according to a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2022, held from Aug. 26 to 29 in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n Anders Holt, M.D., from Gentofte University Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark, and colleagues examined the risk for new-onset arrhythmias (tachy- or bradyarrhythmia and conduction disorders), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and heart failure following use of prescribed medical cannabis. The analysis included a cohort of patients with chronic pain who were followed from 2018 to 2021, with those initiating first-time treatment with medical cannabis (4,562 patients) matched 1:10 to controls within the cohort.<\/p>\n According to the abstract submitted for the presentation, the risk for new-onset arrhythmia was elevated among exposed patients versus nonexposed patients, with 180-day absolute risks of 0.71 percent versus 0.43 percent, yielding a risk ratio of 1.64 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.23). The risk for new-onset ACS and heart failure was not higher for those initiating cannabis versus those not initiating cannabis (180-day absolute risks of 0.13 versus 0.11 percent and 0.13 versus 0.14 percent, respectively, yielding risk ratios of 1.2 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 2.1] and 0.9 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.2 to 1.7], respectively). <\/p>\n “Since medical cannabis is a relatively new drug for a large market of patients with chronic pain, it is important to investigate and report serious side effects,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Even though the absolute risk difference is small, both patients and physicians should have as much information as possible when weighing up the pros and cons of any treatment.”<\/p>\n Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n