Recreational drug use triples a person’s risk of repeated heart health emergencies Drug users were more likely to suffer repeated cardiac arrests, heart attacks and strokes MDMA, opioids and cannabis were the drugs most associated with heart emergencies WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Recreational drug users are three times more likely to have repeated heart health emergencies than people who don’t use, a new study has found. About 11% of patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units have been using recreational drugs, said researcher Dr.
Raphael Mirailles , a physician with the Hospital Lariboisiere in Paris. Overall, “recreational drug use was associated with a tripling of the risk of a repeat serious cardiovascular event within one year,” Mirailles said. For the study, researchers followed nearly 1,400 patients admitted to ICCUs in 39 hospitals across France during two weeks in April 2021.
All were screened for drug use using urine tests. About 11% had been using cannabis, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines or MDMA, results showed. The patients were then tracked for about a year, to see whether they had suffered another cardiac arrest, heart attack or stroke, researchers said.
After a year of follow-up, about 7% of the patients had experienced another serious heart emergency. About 13% of drug users had a follow-up heart health emergency, compared with 6% of non-users, researchers said. Drug users were more likely than non-users to suffer a heart-relat.