A 26-year-old Australian man went to hospital with a foot ulcer that would not heal. Surgeons diagnosed him with a rare condition: cannabis arteritis.
An Australian narrowly escaped amputation. At issue: his cannabis consumption. He has indeed developed a rare pathology associated with this behavior. Cannabis arteritis, that’s the name, has only been diagnosed a hundred times so far. It was first described in 1960.
More rigid arteries
The 26-year-old man presented to Frankston Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) with a foot ulcer that would not heal. It was on this occasion that cannabis arteritis was spotted. It is thus the first case in the country. Dr David Soon reported the details to the annual meeting of the Royal College of Surgeons of Australasia.
His cannabis consumption is well in question: the Australian admitted to smoking up to one gram per day. This behavior promotes the accumulation of plaques in the arteries, which are more rigid, and therefore less blood flow to the lower limbs.
Aspirin for life
If detected early enough, the necrosis induced by cannabis arteritis can be treated. In the case of the patient admitted to Melbourne, the placement of a small balloon in the area of the reduced artery was necessary to return it to a suitable diameter. The man will also have to take aspirin until the end of his life. This drug has the property of diluting the blood, and therefore of avoiding cardiovascular incidents.
For Dr. David Soon, vigilance must be reinforced around this pathology, often confused with atherosclerosis. “Cannabis use is increasing and therapeutic cannabis is more often legalized,” he explained at the congress. Because of this, awareness of this pathology is important and may become a problem in the future. “It must be said that the trend has accelerated: in 2010, 70 cases were counted.
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