Abstract
Despite the adverse effects of substance use on health among individuals with preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD), little is known about trends and correlates for substance use among individuals with CVD. We examined trends of use in tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis among US adults with heart disease. Using nationally representative data from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 7339), we conducted survey-adjusted logistic regression analyses to test the significance of trends in substance use while controlling for sociodemographic factors and related correlates. Results showed that the prevalence of cannabis use among adults with a heart condition significantly increased. Notably, the prevalence of cannabis use increased by 91% among non-Hispanic Whites, while the increasing trends were not present among other racial/ethnic groups. Our results also showed that increase in cannabis use was associated with easier access, lower disapproval, and risk perceptions of cannabis. Special attention is needed to raise awareness of the risk associated with cannabis use among individuals with CVD and the implementation of an early screening and treatment strategy among those with CVD.
Highlights
In the United States (U.S.), substance misuse is one of the major social concerns
Descriptive statistics show that the prevalence of current substance use among individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) was 19%, 46%, and 6%
In contrast to non-significant changes in cannabis use among other racial/ethnic groups, the rates among non-Hispanic Whites with CVD increased steadily from 4.3% in 2015 to 8.2% in 2019, indicating an 91% increase. These findings are interesting given that the results of our ancillary analysis showed that among those without CVD, both Whites and non-Whites had a significant increase in rates of cannabis use, which is consistent with past study examining cannabis use in the general population [34]
Summary
Does the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use remain high, but the prevalence of cannabis use has increased steadily among general U.S populations [1–5]. Despite the potential for therapeutic benefits of moderate use of certain substances (e.g., alcohol and cannabis) for pain, appetite, sleep, and other health problems [7–9], detrimental health effects have been documented [10–15]. Because substance use may increase heart rate and blood pressure via sympathetic activation, elevating myocardial oxygen demand, substance use has adverse effects on the cardiovascular system in the general population [16–20]. The adverse effects on cardiovascular events and pathologies can be critical for patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) [21,22]. Empirical evidence reports that substance use increases the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and complications among those with preexisting CVD [22–27]
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