THE ESSENTIAL
- Atrial fibrillation is a disease characterized by an irregular and often very rapid heartbeat.
- It can occur without apparent cause but certain factors such as obesity or drug use increase the risk.
In France, 1% of the general population has atrial fibrillation, or fibrillation atrial, according to health insurance. This pathology is a heart disorder that can cause palpitations.
As a reminder, the heart is made up of four main parts: two atria on the upper part and two ventricles on the lower part, respectively placed on the right and left of the organ. In atrial fibrillation, the electrical activity of the muscles of both atria is rapid and disorganized. Result: the atria and the ventricles contract badly. The heart rhythm is therefore disturbed, the heart beats irregularly.
Drugs, a risk factor for atrial fibrillation
Age is the first risk factor for this disease. Then there are other causes such as obesity, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. A new study published in the journal European Heart Journal also believes that drug use might be a risk factor.
To achieve this result, the researchers studied the medical records of patients admitted to hospital in California between 2005 and 2015. Among them, only a small part used drugs: 132,834 took cannabis, 48,700 cocaine and 10,032 opiates.
Cannabis, cocaine… up to 74% more risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation
According to the results, cannabis users were 35% more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in the next ten years, compared to those who did not use drugs. For people who took cocaine or heroin/opioids, these percentages were higher with respectively 61% and 74% more risk of having atrial fibrillation.
“This is a necessary first step for general information, concludes Dr. William Lowenstein, one of the authors. Just because a substance is banned does not mean that its physical risks should not be studied, users informed and risk reduction strategies considered.“.