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Cannabis-Associated Vasculitis

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Systemic Vasculitides: Current Status and Perspectives

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Abstract

Cannabis is the most illicit drug consumed in France, especially by young adults and teenagers from all social groups. This drug is implicated in various complications such as psychotic disorders, anxiety, depressive symptoms, but also somatic disorders like cardiovascular disorders.

Cannabis use is associated with stroke, myocardial infarction and lower limb arteritis. Arterial disease affects especially young men. There is a very strong temporal link between arterial complications and cannabis use for strokes and myocardial infarctions. Patient outcome is closely correlated with cannabis withdrawal and relapses associated with cannabis re-challenge.

Cannabis use is associated with particular characteristics of arterial disease. The increased risk of myocardial infarction onset occurs within 1 h of smoking marijuana compared to periods of non-use. Strokes occurs mainly in the posterior cerebral circulation. Compared to cohorts of thromboangiitis obliterans patients, patients with cannabis-associated limb arteritis are younger, more often male and have more frequent unilateral involvement of the lower limbs at clinical presentation.

In conclusion, cannabis use is associated with arterial disease such as stroke, myocardial infarction and limbs arteritis. It appears essential to investigate cannabis use in young patients presenting with such arterial manifestations, as outcome is closely correlated with cannabis withdrawal.

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Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors do not have any conflict of interest to declare.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR CNRS 7211, INSERM U959, Paris 6, Paris, France

    Anne Claire Desbois & Patrice Cacoub

  2. Laboratory I3 “Immunology, Immunopathology, Immunotherapy, UMR CNRS 7211, INSERM U959, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6, Paris, France

    Anne Claire Desbois & Patrice Cacoub

  3. Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, AP-HP, Hôpital La Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013, Paris, France

    Patrice Cacoub

Authors
  1. Anne Claire Desbois
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  2. Patrice Cacoub
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrice Cacoub .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Franco Dammacco

  2. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Domenico Ribatti

  3. University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    Angelo Vacca

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Desbois, A.C., Cacoub, P. (2016). Cannabis-Associated Vasculitis. In: Dammacco, F., Ribatti, D., Vacca, A. (eds) Systemic Vasculitides: Current Status and Perspectives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40136-2_32

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