Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease typically associated with aging and the definitive
leading cause of death worldwide, now threatens young and middle-aged populations.
Recreational abuse of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants
has been an escalating public health problem for decades, but now use of these substances
has become a significant contributor to early-onset CVD. While this remains a global
phenomenon, the epicentre of substance abuse is rooted in North America, where it
has been exacerbated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time
in history, the United States crossed 100,000 overdose-related deaths in a calendar
year. Sadly, Canada’s recreational drug abuse problem closely mirrors that of the
US. This is indicative of the larger public health crisis, as we now know that these
substances are cardiotoxic and are contributing to the rising levels of premature
chronic CVD, including hypertension, arrhythmias, heart failure, stroke, myocardial
infarction, arterial dissection, sudden cardiac death, and early mortality.
Résumé
Les maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV), maladies généralement associées au vieillissement
et la principale cause de décès dans le monde, menacent désormais les populations
jeunes et d'âge moyen. L'abus récréatif d'alcool, de marijuana, de cocaïne et de stimulants
de type amphétamine constitue un problème de santé publique croissant depuis des décennies,
mais aujourd'hui, la consommation de ces substances contribue de manière significative
à l'apparition précoce de MCV. Bien que ce phénomène soit mondial, l'épicentre de
l'abus de ces substances est ancré en Amérique du Nord, où il a été exacerbé par la
réponse à la pandémie de COVID-19. Pour la première fois dans l'histoire, les États-Unis
ont franchi le cap des 100 000 décès par overdose au cours d'une année civile. Malheureusement,
le problème de l'abus de drogues récréatives au Canada reflète étroitement celui des
États-Unis. Cela est révélateur d'une crise de santé publique plus vaste, car nous
savons maintenant que ces substances sont cardiotoxiques et contribuent à l'augmentation
des niveaux de MCV chroniques prématurées, notamment l'hypertension, les arythmies,
l'insuffisance cardiaque, les accidents vasculaires cérébraux, l'infarctus du myocarde,
la dissection artérielle, la mort cardiaque subite et une mortalité précoce.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: July 12, 2022
Accepted:
June 12,
2022
Received:
March 2,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
See page 7 for disclosure information.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
