Kylee Krivijanski
University of Miami
Co-Authors: Amrit Baral1, Bria-Necole Diggs1, Ranya Marrakchi El Fellah1, Claudia Martinez1, Denise C Vidot1
1University of Miami
Background: Cannabis use has been shown to have diverse effects on blood pressure (BP). However, the relationship between cannabis use and BP remains inconsistent. Furthermore, sex differences in this relationship have been largely unexplored, warranting further investigation.
Objective: To examine sex-differences in objectively measured abnormal BP among low-to-moderate and heavy cannabis consumers in a cohort of 18-to-35-year-olds.
Methods: Data are from 18-to-35-year-olds (N=200) enrolled in the Herbal Heart Study in South Florida. Cannabis was urine-verified. Heavy cannabis use was defined as use > 21 days a month. Abnormal BP was based on an average of three American Heart Association-standardized measurements of systolic and diastolic BP: ≥130mmHg systolic and ≥85mmHg diastolic. Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared tests assessed associations between cannabis use, sex, and BP, while logistic regression estimated the odds of having abnormal BP by cannabis use.
Results: Most (63.0%) of the sample consumed cannabis in the past-30 days. Cannabis use was confirmed by urine toxicology screen for carboxy-THC. There was a statistically significant difference between cannabis consumption (consumers vs. non-consumer) and sex (p=0.0024). Specifically, cannabis consumption was reported more frequently among males (77.1%, p=0.0024) compared to females. There was a statistically significant difference between frequency of cannabis use (low-to-moderate vs. heavy) and sex (p=0.0181), Heavy cannabis consumption (consuming >21 days a month) was found to be more prevalent among males (85.2%) than among females (66.7%, p=0.02). Male cannabis consumers were found to have a higher median systolic BP compared to females (130.7mmHg vs 111.3mmHg, p<0.0001). Abnormal BP was identified in 50.0% of male cannabis consumers compared to 11.1% of female cannabis consumers (p<0.0001). When examined by frequency of use, male heavy cannabis consumers had a higher prevalence of abnormal BP than female heavy cannabis consumers (52.2% vs 14.6%). After adjusting by sex, heavy cannabis consumers had a higher odds of presenting with abnormal BP than non-consumers (AOR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.10-6.76). There was no association between low-to-moderate cannabis use and abnormal BP (AOR: 2.47, 95% CI: 0.74-8.24).
Conclusions: Heavy cannabis use was associated with increased odds of abnormal BP. Specifically, male cannabis consumers with heavy use exhibited higher systolic BP and a greater prevalence of abnormal BP compared to females.