Crohn’s disease patients seeking hospitalization who use marijuana possess fewer disease-related complications as compared to matched controls, according to data published in the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
A team of investigators from the John H. Stroger Hospital in Chicago, the SUNY Downstate Medical Centre in New York City, and the Digestive Disease Institute in Cleveland assessed the relationship between cannabis use and the prevalence of Crohn’s disease-related complications and clinical outcomes in a nationwide cohort of hospitalized patients.
Authors reported that patients with a history of cannabis use possessed fewer complications and experienced better clinical outcomes as compared to abstainers.
They concluded, “In summary, our study suggests that cannabis use may mitigate several of the well-described complications of Crohn’s disease among hospital inpatients and this could be due to an anti-inflammatory effect of cannabis and potential improvement in gastrointestinal mucosal healing.”
A prior observational study showed that cannabis use is associated with fewer incidences of Crohn’s disease hospitalizations, while a placebo-controlled trial reported that cannabis therapy was associated with greater rates of disease remission.
This piece first appeared on the NORML Blog.
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