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Pot Use Tied to Stroke in Three Teenagers
By Amy Norton | Reuters Health | Apr 26, 2004 06:22 PM

NEW YORK - Large doses of marijuana might in rare instances lead to stroke in teenagers, according to a new report.

Although it is unusual for teens to suffer a stroke, and there have been few reports of stroke linked to marijuana use, the cases of three teenage boys suggest the association is real, researchers report.

The boys all had a similar type of stroke in a brain region called the cerebellum shortly after smoking marijuana. Their strokes could not be explained by blood clots that traveled from the heart, blood vessel inflammation or other potential causes.

There may be some unique features of bingeing or sporadic use of large amounts of marijuana that might put the adolescent brain at risk, Dr. Thomas Geller of St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri told Reuters Health.

"This is obviously very rare," he added.

Geller and his colleagues report on the cases in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Past research has shown that marijuana use can lead to excessively low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, dizziness and balance problems. According to Geller and his colleagues, there have been a few reports of marijuana-associated stroke, which have all been in males between the ages of 15 and 34.

In these latest cases, all of the boys showed similar symptoms shortly after smoking pot, including severe and worsening headache and problems seeing and walking. One boy had slurred speech and appeared drunk.

Two of the teens died less than 24 hours after being admitted to the hospital. Autopsies confirmed that the boys had strokes caused by disrupted blood flow to the cerebellum, as did biopsy from the third teen, who survived.

All of the boys admitted to having recently smoked marijuana, and appeared to use the drug occasionally rather than regularly. The teen who survived suffered his stroke symptoms after heavy marijuana use.

There is research evidence that inexperienced marijuana users have a short-term drop in blood flow to the brain after smoking the drug, the authors note in the report.

Geller said his team's hypothesis is that irregular but high-volume use of marijuana--or a contaminant they were unable to find--might prevent the cerebellum from getting enough blood to meet its needs.

"We think that adolescents--maybe only male ones--who binge on marijuana may put themselves at a risk that they are not aware of," Geller said.

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