The recreational use of cannabis has been associated with increased cardiovascular risks, but less is known about the risks with medical cannabis for chronic pain. Using a Danish registry of >1.8 million patients with chronic pain, the use of medical cannabis was associated with a 2-fold higher risk of developing new-onset arrhythmias within 6 months compared to non-use. Despite the cohort’s low median age and low prevalence of comorbidities, the notable relative risk increase of arrhythmias may be reason for concern, even though the absolute risks in this study population are modest.
PainSA is a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Our mission is to improve all aspects of pain management in Southern Africa.
We are a multidisciplinary society whose membership includes all healthcare professionals