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Try not to be apoplectic, but your favorite recreational drugs may be setting you up for a stroke.
That’s according to the latest party-pooping science, which, if we’re to be blunt, doesn’t bode well. In a new review of medical data from more than 100 million people, a team of researchers found that recreational drugs — even ones you may think of as mild —can more than double a person’s risk of stroke.
The odds vary significantly by substance, but none of the findings are encouraging. Amphetamine users were at a 122 higher risk for stroke, and a 96 percent higher risk for cocaine users, researchers report in the study published in the International Journal of Stroke and highlighted by The Guardian.
Even potheads come out looking worse for wear, with cannabis linked to a 37 percent higher stroke risk, the study found.
“Illicit drug use is a preventable stroke risk, but I don’t know if young people are aware how high the risk is,” study lead author Megan Ritson, a research associate at the University of Cambridge, told The Guardian. “This is the first finding that has shown how different substance use disorders really can impact stroke risk.”
A stroke happens when the flow of blood to the brain becomes blocked. This could be from a clot in the blood vessels, or the vessels themselves could burst. Without the brain tissue receiving the oxygen and nutrients they immediately need, the cells begin to die within minutes. These often sudden episodes are the third leading cause of death and disability across the globe.
In the Journal of Stroke study, researchers established a correlation between drug use and strokes after examining the medical data from over 100 million people. But to establish a stronger link and see if drugs were the cause and not other lifestyle factors that could be associated with drug use, they also used a technique called Mendelian randomization to see if people who were genetically prone to a drug disorder were also more likely to suffer a stroke. Because it turned out they were, the researchers argue this provides stronger evidence that drugs themselves are causing a greater stroke risk.
Strikingly, when the researchers focused on drug users under 55 years old, they found amphetamine tripled their stroke risk, and cocaine increased it by 97 percent. Cannabis, meanwhile, increased risk by 14 percent.
It all goes back to the blood stream, the researchers argue. Amphetamines can raise blood pressure and constrict blood vessels in the brain, per The Guardian. Cocaine can accelerate the build up of cholesterol in the arteries. Cannabis can constrict blood vessels, and some research suggests it may drive blood clotting.
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