Effect of Marijuana on Some Cardiac Biomarkers among Smokers in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Marijuana is the oldest and one of the most widely used illicit drugs, the clinical and pharmacological effects of cannabinoids have been recently studied, with much still unknown about the physiologic and pathologic effects. This study aimed to evaluate its cardiovascular effect using some cardiac makers among smokers in Nigeria.

Methods: The study was a comparative design conducted among eighty-eight test and control subjects. Venous blood was collected for AST, LDH and CK-MB. Biodata was obtained via questionnaires with anthropometric and blood pressure measures. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and a significant level was taken at p<0.05.

Results: There was a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of subjects who use marijuana as observed from earlier studies. There was a significant increase in the levels of these enzymes in marijuana users as compared to non-smokers.

Conclusion: The increase in these cardiac bio-markers, though heralds the pathologic effect of the use of marijuana on the heart, will be most convincing to assay more cardiac markers such as troponin T to buttress these findings.