A new study analyzed the disease burden and risk factors for severity among people who suffer from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
Researchers
at George Washington University said that the condition occurs in people who
are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable
vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to
repeated trips to the hospital.
"This is one of the first large studies to examine the burden of disease
associated with this cannabis-linked syndrome," says Andrew Meltzer,
professor of emergency medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health
Sciences and lead author of the study.
"Our findings
suggest that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome could represent a costly and
largely hidden public health problem." While the exact prevalence of the
condition is unknown, many experts say that the condition is on the rise as the
number of daily or near-daily users of cannabis has increased in the US.
To assess
the burden of disease, Meltzer and his colleagues conducted a survey of 1,052
people who reported suffering from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. The
researchers asked questions about the frequency of use, duration of the habit,
the age at which they started using the drug, and the need for emergency
department or hospital care.
Key findings of
the study:
85%
reported at least 1 emergency department visit, and 44% reported at least 1
hospitalization associated with the hyperemesis symptoms.
Early age
of cannabis initiation was associated with higher odds of emergency department visits.
Daily use
of cannabis before the onset of the syndrome was nearly universal, with over
40% of respondents reporting they used marijuana more than 5 times a day.
Prolonged
use was common, with 44% reporting regularly using for more than 5 years before
the onset of the syndrome.
Although
this study had some limitations, including self-reported use of cannabis,
Meltzer says it suggests a substantial risk of this painful and costly
condition, especially for users who begin daily use of cannabis as adolescents.
He says more research is needed to understand why some people suffer from the condition after prolonged cannabis exposure, and others do not.
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