Abstract P580: Cannabis Use Among Young Females of Ages 15 to 35 Admitted for Heart Failure in the United States

Abstract

Introduction: Cannabis legalization in many states has led to an increase in the substance’s usage among the younger population, prompting patients, physicians, and policy-makers to seek more information. This study uses the 2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to compare patient characteristics, comorbidities, and the presence of certain cardiac arrhythmias among young females admitted with heart failure and using cannabis compared to those not using cannabis. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that cannabis use among young females aged 15-35 with heart failure is linked to an increased baseline cardiovascular risk and a higher chance of cardiac events during hospitalization for heart failure. Method: Females of ages 15 to 35 with a principal diagnosis of heart failure were pooled from the 2019 NIS. The usage of cannabis was also identified using recommendations from past studies. Different patient characteristics were compared via Chi-Square tests, and the presence and risk of cardiac arrhythmias were also studied via logistic models. Results: Among 7780 cases of heart failure identified in women between the ages of 15 to 35, 425 (5.5%) were cannabis users. The study showed that a larger proportion of cannabis users were racially classified as Blacks (67.5%) and Medicaid was the predominant insurer (57.6%). They also had a higher prevalence of smoking (74.1% vs. 35.2%, p<0.01), hypertension (27.1% vs. 22.0%, p=0.014), and peripheral vascular disease (4.7% vs 2.0%, p<0.01). However, non-users had a higher prevalence of obesity (29.4% vs. 40.9%, p<0.01), diabetes mellitus (21.2% vs. 31.7%, p<0.01), hyperlipidemia (11.8% vs. 16.2%, p=0.016), chronic pulmonary disease (16.5% vs. 23.8%, p<0.01), arthropathies (4.7% vs. 11.5%, p<0.01), and hypothyroidism (5.9% vs. 10.4%, p<0.01). More cannabis users reported ventricular tachycardia (9.4% vs 5.5%, aOR 1.887, 95% confidence interval 1.272-2.798, p=0.002)) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (4.7% vs. 2.1%, aOR 1.926, 95% confidence interval 1.089-3.438, p=0.027) during their hospitalization. On the contrary, the length of stay (LOS) in the hospital was shorter for cannabis users compared to non-users (mean stay of 5.07 days vs. 5.86 days). Conclusion: While young female cannabis users with heart failure had a shorter hospitalization, they were more prone to report arrhythmic events such as ventricular tachycardia and paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. Although differences in baseline cardiovascular risk associations were noted among this population, further clinical and laboratory studies are encouraged to help understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind such differences.