Male ice users at 'double' risk of stroke

Young men who abuse methamphetamine are twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to female users, a study has found.

A research review by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales investigated the connection between meth use and stroke.

The analysis, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, found a haemorrhagic stroke - caused by a bleed into the brain - rather than a clot (ischaemic) is the most common type of stroke associated with taking the drug.

Of the 370 published studies screened, 77 were selected for inclusion.

There were 81 haemorrhagic and 17 ischaemic strokes reported.

This is "strikingly" high compared with the rates of haemorrhagic stroke in the general population among the under 45s, the authors wrote.

Both types of stroke were about twice as common in males, the research found.

Risk of death was also higher after a haemorrhagic stroke: one in four people recovered completely but one-third died.

One in five died after suffering an ischaemic stroke.

Given the often disabling or fatal consequences of a stroke and the increasing use of methamphetamine among young people, the findings are a cause for concern, the researchers say.

"This review highlights the heightened risk of haemorrhagic stroke associated with methamphetamine use. With the use of methamphetamine increasing, particularly more potent forms, there is a growing burden of methamphetamine-related disease and harms, particularly among young people, in whom the majority of methamphetamine use occurs," they wrote.

"It is likely that methamphetamine abuse is making a disproportionate contribution to the increased incidence of stroke among young people observed over recent years."

Doctors and meth users need to be more aware of the risk of stroke and the signs and symptoms, the researchers say.

Early signs and symptoms include pins and needles, headache, speech and language difficulties and visual impairment.