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15 Year Old Having Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Will The Drug Abuse Worsen The Condition?

Posted on Sat, 16 Jun 2012

Question: My 15 year old son was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. He admits to smoking pot on occasion. Is this more risky for him than for others w/o this condition?

Answered by Dr. Aparna Kohli (3 hours later)

Hi,

Thanks for posting your query.

The risks of marijuana or pot are greater for your son than the rest of the population.

Pot contains cannabis which has been found to increase the heart rate by 20-100% in the first 3 hours after smoking. A study estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug. This may be due to increased heart rate as well as the effects of marijuana on heart rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in aging populations or in those with cardiac vulnerabilities.

I would strongly advise him to avoid smoking pot and follow a healthy lifestyle.

I hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer if you have no further queries.

Regards.

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad